KARACHI, June 27: With the approval of all 59 demands for grants amounting to over Rs246 billion in respect of different heads, the Sindh Assembly on Friday passed the budget for 2008-09.

Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro presided over the session while demands for grants were moved by Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, who also holds the finance and planning portfolios.

Leader of the opposition Jam Madad Ali and his colleagues Rafique Bhanbhan, Arif Mustafa Jatoi, Abdul Razzaque Rahimoon and Nusrat Sehar Abbasi, had moved 508 cut motions against 18 demands. They did not press for their cut motions to be taken up after 347 of their motions – moved against eight demands for grants – were rejected.

After the adoption of 11 demands, the opposition appeared withdrawn, paving the way for the chief minister to put to the vote the rest of the demands from No 12 to No 59 at a time, under Rule 126. These demands were carried when put to the vote.

Soon after, the leader of the opposition, rising on a point of order, said that by moving the cut motions, the opposition lawmakers had made an attempt. “They might have had some mistakes, but they were aimed at bringing down the operative expenses and curtailing new furniture and expensive purchases. We have extended cooperation to the treasury benches in carrying out business smoothly,” he said.

“However, as mentioned by the information minister that certain ministers of the last government had even taken away office furniture and computers, which were purchased from public money, when leaving office, proof of this should be presented in the house,” Jam Madad observed.

Information Minister Shazia Marri, rising from her seat, responded that not only would proof be presented, but FIRs should also be lodged.

Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah recalled that preparing the budget was a difficult job and the finance department had done a good job, but since this was a parliamentary system, such criticism was natural.

Expressed his gratitude to the opposition for their cooperation, he said: “The opposition had some new members in their ranks. Preparing cut motions was a difficult and technical job and required study of the budget. It was our experience when we used to be in the opposition that many of our members had to work day and night to work out cut motions.

“Whether they worked out cut motions by themselves or by others, the opposition legislators had put up a good show with their limited resources,” he said.

Along with the opposition, he also expressed gratitude to his party members, ministers and coalition colleagues for their cooperation.

Mr Shah also praised the performance of the speaker and said that instead of speaking, he had provided an opportunity to 96 members to participate in the general discussion on the budget.

Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, before calling it a day at 2.05pm to meet on Saturday at 9.30am, also appreciated the role of the opposition, saying that with their cooperation, the house was able to pass the demands for grants without using a guillotine, which he said had been the practice over the last five years.

Earlier, after laying of the schedule of authorised supplementary expenditure for 2007-08, when the agenda for discussion and voting on demand for grants for 2008-09 was taken up after question hour, the information minister pointed out that in the preparation of the cut motions, the rules of procedure had not been followed.

The speaker reminded the leader of the opposition that he had promised to review the cut motions.Jam Madad said that he had reviewed them and found them as per the rules and the reasons would be mentioned in his speech.

Revenue Minister Murad Ali Shah read out the rules of cut motions and suggested the chair relax the rule for taking up cut motions.

Qaim Ali Shah, though welcoming the cut motions, said the motions were not in order as they were required to be submitted two days before, while they were handed over yesterday after 12.30pm. However, he said, as the speaker had the authority, he would request the chair to relax the rule.

The speaker relaxed the rule.