ISLAMABAD, June 10: The combined opposition parties on Tuesday boycotted budget debate in both the National Assembly and Senate to protest against the Legal Framework Order.
Members of the ruling coalition government parties regretted the opposition’s boycott while most of them termed the budget positive.
The National Assembly session was initially presided over by Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain but it was later chaired by deputy speaker Sardar Yaqoob Khan.
Communications Minister Syed Safwanullah of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement welcomed the increased allocation for the education sector, saying that the budget would create more employment opportunities.
Terming the budget balanced, he said that there was a need to focus more attention towards the country’s agriculture sector.
He criticized the opposition for boycotting the National Assembly debate.
PML-Q’s Riaz Fatiana said that good economic policies had led to increased foreign investment and restored the confidence of the overseas Pakistanis, saying the remittances had increased to $4 billion.
Stressing the need for increasing the allocation for the education sector to five per cent of the GDP, he praised the government’s move to remove tax on stationary items, paper and books, saying it would help the poor students.
Lauding the decision to raise salary of government employees, he called for improving the pay structure of private sector and provincial government employees, adding that the government should also focus on poverty reduction measures.
The assembly was later adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
SENATE DEBATE: Members of the treasury benches on Tuesday termed the occasion historic, saying that the Senate was discussing the finance bill for the first time in the country’s history.
Terming the budget investment-friendly, the PML-Q senators called for reducing duties on small vehicles and busses to augment the public transport sector.
Former law minister Khalid Ranjha criticized the opposition members for boycotting the Senate session and implored the leader of the chairman senate and leader of the House to react in an appropriate manner regarding the opposition’s attitude.
Expressing his surprise over the attitude of the opposition parliamentarians, he said a majority of the politicians’ relatives were either Nazims or Naib Nazims elected under the LFO, which was being opposed in the parliament.
Terming the budget generally good, he said that while it favoured the government servants, it was silent about the working class in the private sector.
Stressing the need to slash the size of the civil administration, he said that its expenses had gone up by eight per cent.
Urging the government to concentrate more towards better water management, Mr Ranjha said that there was a need to assess the quantity of water available at the watercourses’ tail-ends besides quantifying the amount of water being misused by major landlords.
He said that aid amounting to $350 million was lying idle with the State Bank of Pakistan, adding that it should be used to improve the country’s judicial system.
Earlier, former information minister Nisar Memon suggested that there was a need to focus more towards the development of human resources.
He also suggested a decrease in taxes on small vehicles, saying that if Wapda were to be provided with subsidies for Wapda, it should be asked not to increase the utility tariff.