ISLAMABAD, June 14: A joint meeting of the members of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal in the National Assembly and the Senate was held on Monday evening at the Parliament House here to chalk out strategy for the budget session resuming on Tuesday.

MMA secretary-general and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman will open the debate on budget when the lower house proceedings begin after a two-day recess.

The alliance lawmakers were provided a detailed briefing about the technical side of the budget proposals, cut motions and demands for grants, etc. The meeting, presided over by MMA acting president and parliamentary leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed, was attended by the lawmakers of all the component parties of the alliance.

Later talking to Dawn, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said except for Maulana Samiul Haq his party legislators, including Qari Gul Rahman, attended the meeting. Criticizing finance minister Shaukat Aziz, he said the poor classes had been ignored in the budgetary proposals and incentives were provided to the elite class.

He said as most of the alliance lawmakers were new, they were provided a comprehensive briefing about various aspects of the budget by the senior parliamentarians and experts in the MMA.