PESHAWAR, May 28: People’s Party Parliamentarians’ parliamentary leader in the NWFP Assembly Abdul Akbar Khan said on Monday that legislators had little role in the budget-making process.

Speaking at a workshop, which was organised by the USAID under its Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Project, he alleged that successive chief executives of the province had always discouraged involvement of legislators in the budget-making process in order to maintain their authority.

He said that budget was prepared by bureaucrats, adding that it was tabled in the assembly only get its approval.

The PPP leader pointed out that under the 1973 Constitution legislators had an effective role in the budget making process. However, he added existing rules of the provincial assembly had limited their role.

He said several rules of the provincial assembly should be revised.

He said that spending public money without consulting people’s representatives was pushing them towards a dictatorial style of governance.

He deplored that the government ignored opposition’s recommendations on budgetary proposals as it considered revising allocations its defeat.

He said that legislators’ contribution to the preparation of budget could yield good results.

NWFP Additional Accountant General Fahim Saddique also spoke.