LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly passed a huge supplementary budget for last fiscal year 2018-19 as the House rejected opposition’s cut motions against 40 supplementary demands for grants amounting to over Rs90 billion, approving all of them on Friday amidst uproar and rumpus.
The opposition members protested against the attitude of Law Minister Raja Basharat and Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, accusing them of being biased in favour of the government members and ministers.
When the House was discussing the cut motion on demand for grant for additional expenditures on police, Law Minister Raja Basharat, while defending the extra expenditures on police, demanded the opposition to bring joint resolution, expressing solidarity with the victim families of Model Town killings and delivering speedy justice to them. The move angered the opposition members, who began raising slogans against the PTI leadership and ministers. They gathered around the speaker’s podium, tore up the copies of budget papers and threw the pieces into the air all-over the House. The treasury members followed the suit and gathered near speaker’s chair and raised slogans against the PML-N leadership. In their slogans, both sides called each other’s leadership thieves, plunderers and responsible for causing price-hike and inflation in the country.
Amid that chaos, Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi applied the guillotine procedure to allow the House to approve supplementary demands for grants, speedily bypassing the regular procedure. After the passage of the supplementary budget, the slogan-chanting opposition members followed the opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz and left the House.
Earlier, opposing the supplementary budget, the opposition members like Chaudhry Iqbal, Khalil Tahir Sindhu, Malik Mohammad Ahmad Khan and Iftikhar Chachar said police had badly failed in controlling crimes and ensuring peace. They said crimes against children and women had actually increased during the last year and the government failed in filling up large number of vacancies in the Police Department. Malik Ahmad Khan said about the PTI claims of filling up 80,000 police vacancies in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab Home Secretary Shaukat Ali exposed the government’s false claims that those recruitments were done by the Awami National Party (ANP) government, but the PTI was taking credit for it.
The opposition members alleged that the PTI was using police for political victimisation and ignoring lawlessness. They cited official figures that 153,000 crimes were registered in Punjab during the last 10 months.
Law Minister Raja Basharat said the opposition created impression that police were corrupt and incompetent, which was wrong. He said policemen sacrificed their lives, energy and time to protect citizens. He said the Usman Buzdar government did not give birth to any Abid Boxer or Mansha Bomb in last 11 months. He rejected political victimisation claims, and said if any opposition MPA was booked in any case, it should be brought in the House. He claimed crimes rate had decreased in last 11 months and police reforms commissions were working at three levels, including Supreme Court, federal and provincial governments.
After the opposition members left the House, speaker expressed sorrow that leader of the opposition had left without expressing his views on the budget and he would want the opposition leader to speak in the House at this moment. Later, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, addressed the House in a peaceful atmosphere in the absence of the opposition.
He termed Punjab budget a budget of austerity and saving, adding that the PTI leadership had imposed the austerity policy upon themselves too. While congratulating the members and ministers for supporting the budget and its preparations, he said maximum deductions were made in the CM Office budget, reducing it by 58 per cent. He said the PTI government set a new example by making only 2.7 per cent increase in recurring expenditures. Ten to 20 per cent decrease in non-salary, operational, M&R and other heads is a proof of practical measures for austerity. Unnecessary expenditures have been ended and repair and maintenance of personal residences in the name of security have been ended now. He said the number of security officials has been decreased from 2,000 to 500, and he had no camp office, private residence or any other office in Lahore like the past traditions. We are the custodian of the national exchequer and public money will be spent on public welfare.
He said 47% more funds have been allocated for the ADP as compare to the previous year. Instead of personal projection projects, human resource development had been focused according to the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and “we will come up to the trust of Prime Minister Imran Khan”. Today is a historic day when the first formal budget of the PTI government has been approved and “I extend congratulations to the whole of the house and finance minister and his team also deserves congratulation.” Islamic welfare state is our destination and Bahimat Programme is being started for citizens over 65 years under Punjab Ehsaas Programme. ‘Hum Qadam’ programme is being started for the disabled people and Sarprast programme was being introduced for widows and orphans.
Similarly, Musawat programme is also being introduced for hapless segments besides introducing Nai Zindgi programme for the restoration of women suffering from acid attacks. Kheraj-e-Shuhada program is being introduced for financial aid of the families of those who became victim to terrorism. He said that we are going to give the biggest development budget in the health sector which around 46%. We are constructing nine new hospitals and programme is also under way to provide the best treatment facilities to 70 lakh families in quality private hospitals through Sehat Insaf Cards in 36 districts. He said that remote villages have been included in the journey of development through Naya Pakistan Manzalian Asaan and 1500-kilometre long carpeted roads are being made under it. He said that the PTI government had set up shelter homes in Lahore, Rawalpindi and other districts for homeless passengers and this would be extended to divisional and district level in phases and shelter homes will also be set up in hospitals. The Punjab government has opened 177 rest houses in the province which would promote tourism besides generating revenue.
The target of 25 lakh homes has been fixed under Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme, during the next five years and six new universities will be set up in the province. Baba Guru Nanak University will be set up in Nankana Sahib. He said that 35% development budget has been fixed for southern Punjab. This budget will not be utilized for any other purposes. In the past, only 12 percent or 17 percent development budget was used to be fixed for southern Punjab. He said that I have visited jails and issued directions to improve the facilities for prisoners during my jail visits in different districts and two months remission in the sentences of prisoners has been given for the first time in Punjab. One thousand prisoners have been got released by paying around 28 crore fine and Diyat. He said that the scope of rescue 1122 is being extended to sub-divisional headquarters level as this institution was ignored in the past. Agri reforms have been introduced and farmers are issued agri credit cards to facilitate the farmers. New agriculture policy has been implemented in Punjab. He said that construction activities in Great Thal Kanal Chubara Branch are being accelerated and work is being done on up-gradation of Trimmu and Punjnad Barrage. 160,000 acres land and 2.15 lakh people of 80 villages of Jhelum and Khushab will be provided water after the completion of Jalalpur Canal project. New labour policy has been formulated and the law has been introduced for the safety of workers and domestic servants. New allotment policy has been formulated for the allotment of houses to industrial workers in labour colonies. He said that sports calendar is being devised and vice-chancellors’ posting has been made on merit in public sector universities for the first time in Punjab. Punjab government has fulfilled the promise of giving allowance to engineers and doctors and police allowance is being enhanced as well. 13 cabinet meetings have been held and 1600 agenda items have been given approval. Punjab Assembly has taken lead in legislation, he said.
