LAHORE, June 17: Comments made by legislators belonging to the treasury and the opposition on the opening day of the general debate on the provincial budget for 2006-07 on Saturday were quite predictable.

The ruling party lawmakers were effusive in praise for budgetary allocations as well the leadership under whose guidance priorities were set to expedite the pace of development in all fields. The opposition benches were critical of the targets set by the budget makers and questioned the legality of the budget proposals made in the absence of a new NFC award.

Speakers from both sides came well prepared, which was rather a new experience for those who have been watching their performance for the past three years. Although no changes may be expected in the priorities set by the government, the opposition benches did try to make the treasury realise what could have been done to improve the roadmap for the country’s biggest province.

Press reports that Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi was thinking of reshuffling his cabinet to get rid of the inefficient ministers and parliamentary secretaries, appear to have brought the desired results. Those occupying these seats would have to improve their performance to duck the axe, and others wanting to enjoy power would try to do better in the hope that their boss would give them a chance at a time when the assemblies had less than two years of their constitutional term to complete.

It is also expected that the opposition would not repeat the mistake it had committed during the last budget session. In that session, a situation arose, or was created, because of which the speaker expelled a number of legislators for a specified period. Those who were not expelled boycotted the session, as a result of which the budget was passed without any difficulty. And then a law concerning the local government, which could have sparked a prolonged debate, was passed within no time.

Opposition leader Qasim Zia in his speech on budget passed sarcastic remarks about dictators and taunted the ruling party leaders for holding them in high esteem.

He proposed that new notes of higher denominations should be printed with pictures of Gen Zia, Gen Musharraf and Gen Yehya on them in ‘recognition’ of their services.

When he was making the proposal, he was not aware that some change was also taking place in the stand of his party (PPP) about the ‘dictator in power’ at present.

A statement issued by Ms Benazir Bhutto published in this newspaper on Friday said of Gen Musharraf: “He must open political space equally to all political actors, step down as army chief and then if he so wanted run afresh as a candidate for president after the provincial assemblies, National Assembly and the Senate have been elected in a free and fair election in 2007”.

Significantly, the statement doesn’t say that a general is not eligible to contest any election before completing two years after his retirement, as the PPP and its allies have been saying so far. It indicates that the PPP wants the election of the president should take place after the election of the assemblies.

PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah Khan and MMA’s Eshanullah Waqas challenged the very legality of the new budget in the absence of a new NFC award.

Law Minister Raja Basharat countered their argument, saying the president had issued an executive order through which the existing NFC award had been amended.

He also invited the opposition legislators’ attention to Article 254 of the Constitution, which says that nothing will be rendered invalid if it was not done at a time it was supposed to have been done.

Many say that this Article of the Constitution is a ‘panacea’, which has been and can be used in several situations.

Qasim Zia pointed out a block allocation of Rs4 billion in the New Year’s budget. He apprehended that the government would use the money for what he called horse-trading.

Although nobody knows where the money will be spent, the PPP leader gave a vague idea perhaps because already a number of opposition legislators have joined hands with the ruling PML. And the ruling party leaders are claiming that many more would be joining the treasury benches in the near future.

Qasim’s proposals that technical education should be promoted as the country needs skilled workers, nor clerks; and agro-based industries should be set up in kinno and mango growing areas, merit consideration.