PESHAWAR: In order to stave off a potentially embarrassing number-game situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf opted for deferring the upcoming annual budget to the next government, lawmakers and officials privy to the matter disclosed.

Well-placed sources said that PTI’s strength in the provincial assembly had reduced from 63 to 49 with the likely expulsion of 14 MPAs including four women lawmakers, who were alleged to have defied the party policy in the Senate elections and voted for rival candidates. They said that names of the alleged defectors were expected to be announced on Friday.

A dissident MPA of PTI claimed that Chief Minister Pervez Khattak did not command majority in the 124-member House and the ruling party decided to skip the budget for face saving.

Dissident MPA of PTI says chief minister doesn’t enjoy majority in house

“There is fear among the ruling party that it can’t manage the number of lawmakers required for passing the budget,” he said. He claimed that at least 22 MPAs of PTI would boycott the budget session.

“Imran Khan gives moral justification for not presenting the budget, but the real problem of PTI is the number-game and ruling party has lost majority,” he said.

A senior figure in the PTI-led coalition government told Dawn that chief minister was sounded on the possibility of soliciting the support of rival JUI-F to help pass the budget for 2018-2019 but the suggestion did not elicit a positive response.

“There was no other choice. We thought that JUI-F could be roped in and persuaded to help in passing the budget. We could have done this.

We don’t have a simple majority minus the dissidents,” the minister acknowledged.

Officials, privy to the matter, said the ruling party in the province was facing a dilemma. “Which government wouldn’t want to present a budget and prepare an Annual Development Programme to reflect and achieve its own goals rather than leaving it to the next government,” an official questioned.

“Morally, this may be correct but politically, if the government could help it, it would have passed the budget,” he said, requesting he not be named.

Jamaat-i-Islami provincial chief Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, whose party is a coalition partner in the government, said that PTI was not in a position to pass the budget because over 20 lawmakers of the party were leaving.

“Practically PTI is not in the position to pass the budget,” he said. He added that the PTI’s stand about not presenting the budget on moral ground was correct.

Sources said that PTI’s unilateral decision about the budget had annoyed JI too. They said that JI, which had seven MPAs in the assembly, was in favour of presenting the budget like other opposition parties.

Senator Mushtaq said that Finance Minister Muzafar Said and Senior Minister Inayatullah Khan, who had affiliation with JI, would present their opinion to the party about the budget. The party would issue formal statement on Wednesday after discussion with the ministers, he said.

Sources in PTI said that Chief Minister Pervez Khattak made last ditch efforts to convince the party leadership to allow him to present the budget, but his efforts went in vain.

An MPA of the ruling party confided to Dawn that the chief minister made the last attempt on Monday to seek consent of the party to allow him to announce the budget.

MPA Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, focal person for chief minister for development projects, dispelled the impression that PTI had abandoned the idea to present the next budget due to fear of losing majority in the House.

He, however, admitted that the party’s strength in the assembly would squeeze with the expulsion of some MPAs on charges of horse-trading in Senate polls. “But it would not affect PTI’s position,” he insisted. He claimed that JI was in coalition and would support the government in the House.

Mr Yousafzai said that opposition parties including ANP, QWP and PPP had insisted the government to announce the next budget, but PTI would not change its stand.

ANP MPA Syed Jafar Shah said that presentation of budget was a constitutional requirement and PTI should fulfil its obligations. He said that delay in the budget would put next government in hot water.

He added that opposition had no vested interest in the new budget.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2018