Severe attacks mar first live budget debate

Published June 10, 2015
The first live television coverage of a budget debate was marred by angry shouting between the opposition and the govt.—AFP/File
The first live television coverage of a budget debate was marred by angry shouting between the opposition and the govt.—AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: Aided by a live telecast of their speeches, opposition parties made both big and modest demands while attacking the new federal budget at the start of a general debate on it in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

But the first live television coverage of a budget debate in Pakistan’s history was briefly marred by angry shouting between the opposition and ruling party benches.

The opposition in both houses of parliament had on Monday refused to participate in the debate on the budget unless the government agreed to arrange live coverage of all speeches through the state-run PTV, forcing a day’s postponement of the debate.

That was arranged by the time the debate opened on Tuesday morning in a sparsely attended house with most treasury benches empty at the time.

Leader of the Opposition Khursheed Ahmed Shah was temperate in criticising the government for missed targets in the outgoing financial year and perceived deficiencies in the new budget while opening the debate in the National Assembly.

Take a look: 'Pro-rich' budget proposals based on IMF conditions: Khursheed Shah

But two other opposition speakers, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s parliamentary leader Dr Farooq Sattar and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf member Asad Omar, were more strident, with the former calling the budget “anti-poor” and pro-privileged classes.

Mr Shah’s criticism in nearly three hours of his speech came after he condemned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for proudly recalling, during a recent visit to Bangladesh, India’s military help to separatist Mukti Bahini fighters for the secession of former East Pakistan in the 1971 war and regretted a perceived delay by the foreign ministry in reacting to Mr Modi’s outburst, which he said showed the new Indian government had chosen the same path.

He said that although Pakistan wanted good relations with India, being a nuclear power like its traditional rival, it should not show any sign of weakness that he said could encourage New Delhi to be more aggressive.

“They may be big (in size) but are not bigger than us in faith and spirit as was evident in the 1965 war,” he said.

Coming to the third budget of the PML-N government, he often cited claimed successes of the previous coalition government led by his PPP like those in the agriculture sector and blamed failures like in the energy sector on the fight against terrorism and perceived judicial obstructions in the shape of suo motu notices by the Supreme Court.

Mr Shah seemed too concerned about what he called a historic downfall of agriculture under the present government and urged it to support farmers against falling prices of cotton, wheat and rice.

He accused the government of not fulfilling its election campaign pledge to break the “begging bowl” and instead breaking the law by taking loans beyond the legally allowed limit of 60 per cent of the gross domestic product.

His immediate demands included a 25pc increase in government employees’ salaries and 100pc increase for police salaries.

Appreciating an increase in the budget allocation for the Benazir Income Support Programme to Rs102 billion from Rs97bn, he said the monthly grant for recipients should also be raised to Rs2,000 from Rs1,500.

But his two opposition colleagues had different ideas about salary increases – Mr Omar seeking a 15pc increase as being done by the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Dr Sattar wanting a 30pc increase.

Mr Shah also demanded the formation of a primary education commission to recommend improvement in the primary education system in the country and an all-party conference to consider ways of population control.

“I see darkness after 15 years” when, he said, Pakistan’s population could reach 400 million from the present 200m.

Apparently conceding defeat of the PPP in Monday’s elections for Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, he asked the finance minister that while “you have got majority” there, the government should give a Rs45bn package that he said had been promised by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the region but not mentioned in the new budget.

Apparently referring to criminal cases registered against the Karachi-based Axact software company and their fallout on the planned Bol television station, Mr Shah asked the government not to involve itself in what he called a “media fight” and instead hold a judicial inquiry across the board as, he said, there were channels holding up to Rs2bn of government money.

PML-N member Daniyal Aziz, a one-time loyalist of former president Pervez Musharraf, evoked some protesting voices from PPP benches when he was refuting Mr Shah’s arguments for salary increases and against denationalisation but some of his derogating remarks about the PTI sit-in outside parliament last year provoked booing from PTI benches. That prompted interventions by the opposition leader, PML-N chief whip and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, and Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi to calm tempers.

Mr Omar’s speech also met with some interruption from PML-N benches while that of Dr Sattar, who also waved what he called a “shadow budget” prepared by his party went on uninterrupted despite its harshness.

Ghazi Gulab Jamal, representing independent members from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, demanded increased budgetary allocations for the tribal region and formation of a council of Fata parliamentarians to oversee preparation of development plans and utilisation of funds there.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2015

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