PESHAWAR, June 22: Opposition lawmakers in the NWFP Assembly have observed that the provincial budget for 2005-06, is a document based on assumptions. Initiating a debate on the budget on Wednesday, Anwar Kamal Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) said it could not be termed a people-friendly budget because it did not offer any relief to the general people groaning under price hike, lawlessness and growing unemployment in the province. He said a budget reflected the economic policy of a government. It should not be mixed with the annual development programme, which dealt with routine development schemes, he said.

Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan, who presided over the session, asked lawmakers to speak only about the budget and not to make any point of order and call attention notice.

The PML-N leader lauded what he called great efforts made by the NWFP chief minister and finance minister for the financial rights of the province on different forums.

The opposition had supported the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government on this issue and adopted a number of resolutions to secure dues from Islamabad, he added.

Mr Khan, however, opposed the provincial government’s decision to accept Gen Pervez Musharraf as an arbitrator to the National Finance Commission issue.

The decision was opposed even to the MMA’s own policy towards the constitutional status of Gen Musharraf.

At present, he said, farmers were forced to pay at least eight kinds of taxes, which was detrimental to the agriculture policy of the government. The farmers and landlords used to pay land tax, agriculture income tax (tax on agriculture produce), Ushar, local rate (collected by tehsil municipal administration), tax on Gur production, tax on agriculture loan, Abiana (water tax) and Malia (land revenue).

He also criticized the government for allocating small amounts for big schemes. Mr Khan said it was a bureaucratic modus operandi to embezzle the development funds gradually and in instalments.

He, however, lauded the provincial government for what he called ‘managing funds’ for the budget.

Speaking on the occasion, Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party (ANP) spoke mainly on the political situation of the country. Mr Bilour strongly criticized Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed for his recent remarks on the construction of the Kalabagh dam.

However, when on the objection of the ruling League MPAs, the speaker ordered expunging of his remarks from the house proceedings, Mr Bilour refused to withdraw his remarks.

This house, he said, had unanimously passed three resolutions against the construction of the Kalabagh dam, but Sheikh Rasheed was humiliating the opinion of this august house by making statements on the issue. He criticized the MMA for accepting Gen Musharraf as arbitrator to decide about the NFC award. This new stance of the MMA had exposed its fake opposition to Gen Musharraf, he added.

He urged the house to forge a unity in their ranks against the hold of one province on national resources.

Speaking on the budget, Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao of the PPP observed that the budget was a self-contradictory document based on paradoxical statements.

He said the government had concealed the real deficit, which could reach up to Rs14 billion if the federal government delayed payment of Rs5 billion grant to the province.

He said kidnappings for ransom had become a permanent feature of the life in Peshawar, but the government had failed to curb the growing menace.

Mr Sherpao criticized the formation of a jirga on the NFC issue and said that in the presence of provincial assembly and the Council of Common Interests, there was no need of making parallel bodies like jirga.

He also criticized the nomination of Senator Prof Khursheed Ahmed on the NFC and said Prof Khursheed, who was also editor of a Jamaat-i-Islami’s magazine, Tarjumanul Quran, had often written editorials in favour of Punjab.