ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) suspended on Wednesday the implementation of three components of the Rs341 billion ‘Kisaan package’ announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif less than three weeks after the schedule for local government elections had been issued in Punjab and Sindh.

Delivering the commission’s verdict, which had been reserved on Tuesday, ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad told reporters that the schemes already included in the budget by the finance minister had not been touched, but three components of the package that were over and above the budget were found by the commission to be in violation of the code of conduct.

The commission had taken suo motu notice of the package’s announcement ahead of the local government elections and summoned the secretaries of the ministries of Food Security and Information to justify the announcement of the package and its promotion through the print and electronic media.

National Food Security Secretary Seerat Asghar Jaura said that the package was not in violation of the code of conduct. Jaura observed that the measures announced by the PM were part of an overarching economic policy and included in the budget speech made by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on June 4.

However, political opponents such as the PPP and PTI have questioned what they call the presentation of “old wine in a new bottle” ahead of local government elections. They have alleged that the re-announcement of the budgetary measures — which could not be implemented over two years — 20 days after the schedule for local government elections in Punjab and Sindh was announced, was nothing short of pre-poll rigging.

The ECP secretary said that the direct cash support of Rs5,000 per acre to all cotton and rice growers who owned or cultivated an area of less than 12.5 acres, had been halted until December 3 — the date on which the final phase of local government polls in Punjab and Sindh would be held.

The plan announced by the PM would be shared by the federal and provincial governments on a 50/50 basis. In total, this would cost Rs40 billion and the Food Security Ministry was already part of a consultative process with provinces regarding disbursement procedures.

Mr Fateh Mohammad said that the food security secretary had submitted a copy of the budget speech, made by Finance Minister Dar, which was then compared to the package announced by the PM.

He said that the commission had noticed that the reduction in interest rates for cotton and rice growers for the purchase of fertiliser and other agricultural inputs from four to two per cent was not part of the budget speech, which was why its implementation has also been halted till December 3.

He said that the commission had also taken exception to the government’s decision to increase the value of Production Index Units (PIU) from Rs2,000 to Rs4,000, which also would not be implemented till December 3.

Published in Dawn October 1st, 2015

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