Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Tuesday said that the National Assembly passed the budget 2021-22 after record lengthy discussion of 93 hours.
In a tweet, he said that the budget session was quite exhaustive as 244 members from the treasury and the opposition benches participated in general discussion on the budget while sixteen hours ten minutes were consumed on cut motions and grants.
مالی سال 2021-22بجٹ پر ریکارڈ ٹوٹل 93 گھنٹہ بحث ہوئی، حکومت اور اپوزیشن کے 244 اراکین اسمبلی نے حصہ لیا۔اس میں کٹ موشنز اور گرانٹس پر 16 گھنٹہ 10منٹ بحث ہوئی۔اپوزیشن ممبروں کو بجٹ پر بحث کے لئے اضافی 16 گھنٹے پانچ منٹ دیئے گئے۔سینیٹ کی سفارشات پر ایک گھنٹہ بیس منٹ استعمال ہوئے۔
— Farrukh Habib (@FarrukhHabibISF) June 29, 2021
The minister said that additional sixteen hours five minutes were given to the opposition for discussion on the budget while one hour twenty minutes was consumed on the recommendations of the Senate.
Bilawal embarrassed over smooth sailing of finance bill
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Farrukh Habib on Tuesday said the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was embarrassed over smooth sailing of finance bill 2021-22 from the National Assembly.
Out of his sheer embarrassment and desperation, Bilawal should not give lectures on law and Parliamentary norms, the minister said while responding to a press conference.
Read more: How Pakistan’s new budget fails to address key areas of concern
The entire budget discussion was on record and no any unconstitutional act was performed, he said, adding the debate on the finance bill continued for five hours and 10 minutes. Every law maker took part in the discussion, cut motions were moved, he added.
“If any provincial assembly, which passed the budget unconstitutionally and illegally, it is Sindh government,” he said and asked the PPP chairman to tell the people about
his party sailing through the budget in the provincial assembly without recording the speech of opposition leader.
It was a constitutional right of every member to participate in the budget debate, but Sindh Assembly Speaker barred eight Pakistan Tahreek-e Insaf (PTI) Members of the provincial assembly from entering into the assembly, he said.
Irony the challenger Shahbaz Sharif & Bilawal Bhutto including Asif Ali Zardari missing from Finance Bill voting. Again action speaks louder than words!
— Muzzammil Aslam (@MuzzammilAslam3) June 29, 2021
PTI would continue to expose unconstitutional measures of PPP for passing the budget in Sindh Assembly, Farrukh said.
He said Bilawal should investigate everything before leveling allegations against others as it was both his party and grandfather Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) three times while Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) did the same three times in its tenure.
The minister said government and its alliance deserved appreciation over the passage of the finance bill 2021-22 with majority.
He said the allegations made by Bilawal against the opposition leader was serious, and the opposition leader (Shehbaz Sharif) himself or his party should give clarification on it.
Farrukh said the federal government had given share of Rs 1900 billion under National Finance Commission (NFC) award to Sindh.
Read more: Standing committee rejects many proposals in the new finance bill 2021-22
The PPP had nothing to do with the budget, public issues and relief to the masses as its leadership was only worried about its kickbacks and commission, he added.
Courtesy: APP