LAHORE: Punjab is waiting for a decision of the federal as well as other provincial governments on the presentation of budget for the next financial year and will make up its mind on Friday.

“We’re waiting for the choice of the Centre and other three federating units. Whether they will present a budget for four months or the whole year,” Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told the press gallery committee here on Wednesday.

“A final decision on the subject will be taken on April 27 in accordance with the federal budget.”

Punjab has traditionally been presenting its budgets before other provinces.

The minister said salaries and pensions of government functionaries would be increased as per routine. He told a questioner that the government was waiting for recommendations by the opposition for caretaker chief minister and, in a repeat of the 2013 situation when it had accepted PPP’s proposed name of Najam Sethi, it would agree to the recommendations if the rivals chose a good person.

PML-N campaign for polls to focus on denial of civilian supremacy

Sana said that in the elections the PML-N would take to the court of masses the case of denial of civilian supremacy in the country. He denied that there were differences within the ruling party or that Chaudhry Nisar was jumping ship to join the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. He stressed that the former interior minister had been and would remain a part of the N-League and that the party would contest polls under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif.

He said Imran Khan did not have the guts to claim PML-N wickets, and warned those who were politicking under the cover of the PTI chief that their witch-hunt could derail the system and damage the country.

“When political parties and popular leaders are weakened, various groups crop up that divide the nation and state,” he said, alleging that “groups were created in Balochistan and south Punjab to weaken Nawaz Sharif”.

In reply to a query, the minister said Shahbaz Sharif had visited Karachi and Peshawar as the PML-N president and not Punjab chief minister.

Answering another question, he said the chief justice of Pakistan had made it clear that no unconstitutional steps would be allowed in the country, adding that in such a situation there was no reason for delaying the elections.

He said the Punjab Assembly session starting from Thursday (today) would be the last one of the outgoing house whose term ends on May 31. The session will continue at least for nine days to meet the constitutional requirement of at least 100 sittings in a parliamentary year.

The minister said the session would provide a good chance for consultation with and among opposition parties on the new caretaker set-up.

He denied that Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement leader Manzoor Pashteen had been arrested or his movement barred in any way when he was to hold a public meeting in Lahore on April 22.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2018