Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday reiterated his demand to issue the production orders of Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir, two members of the National Assembly (MNAs) belonging to the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM).

Speaking in the National Assembly, Bilawal said: “Production orders of Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir should be issued so that the House could be complete. It does not matter if you’re the government or the opposition; we are all members of parliament. “I appeal to the speaker and PTI members that it is important that their production orders are issued.”

To this, NA Speaker Asad Qaiser replied, “We are looking at the legal points and as soon as we have a decision, we will inform.” The PPP chairperson added, “By not issuing the production orders of Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir, you are giving the message that this House is not free. We do not want it to be written in history that no production orders were issued. We have even written to the human rights committee for the issuance of production orders. I don’t know whom the government is consulting with for the production order.”

Meanwhile, the National Assembly passed all 63 demands for grant relating to different ministries, divisions and departments for the next fiscal year. These demands were related to Climate Change, Commerce Division, Communications Division, Postal Services, Defence Division, Ministry of Federal Government Educational and Professional Training, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Housing and Works Division, Federal Lodges, Human Rights Division, Industries and Production Division, Information Technology and Telecommunication Division, Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, Maritime Affairs Division, National Assembly, National Health Services, Overseas and Human Resource Development Division, Planning and Reform Division, Privatisation Division, Pakistan Railways, State and Frontier Regions Division, Ministry of Climate and Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony and others.

No cut motions were moved by the opposition on these demands for grant. The House also approved another 23 demands for grant for the next financial year relating to various departments, including Cabinet, Establishment, Aviation and Capital Administration Divisions, Prime Minister’s Office, National Security Division, Federal Public Service Commission, Meteorology Department, and Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division.

The House rejected over 300 cut motions moved by opposition members against these demands.

Winding up discussion on cut motions, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said that 32 percent decrease in the expenditure of Prime Minister’s House had been made as expenses came down from Rs 986 million to Rs 675 million since the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf came into power.

Regarding poverty alleviation, he said Rs 192 billion had been allocated to uplift the downtrodden segments of society. He said the prime minister’s inspection commission had filed six inquiries in just one year against five inquiries during the entire term of the PML-N government. He said funds allocation for the National Disaster Management Authority was being increased to help people during calamities.

He also said that the PTI government had taken serious measures to remove the structural flaws in the economy, which were not addressed by previous governments.

In their speeches on cut motions, the opposition members criticised the performance of the Cabinet Division, Establishment Division and other departments. They opposed allocation of budget for Cabinet Division, saying that it had failed to deliver. They said the Prime Minister’s Office was being run by non-elected people. They said that the prime minister had lost his credibility by telling fudged figures to the people about the expenditure of the PM’s Office. They said that about four million people had gone below the poverty line due to mismanagement of economic matters.

The lawmakers demanded that the provinces’ share under the National Finance Commission award should be ensured and focus be made on improvement of the performance of the Pakistan International Airlines. They said no sector had been given relief in the budget. Members belonging to the PPP demanded that the New Islamabad International Airport be named after Benazir Bhutto.

Shazia Marri demanded five honorariums for officials of Radio Pakistan, PTV, APP and PID, who covered the budget session. She also demanded the same for the staff of the Capital Development Authority and other departments, who performed duty during the budget session.

Those who took part in the debate include Barjees Tahir, Abdul Qadir Patel, Abdul Akbar Chitrali, Khurram Dastgir Khan, Hina Rabbani Khar, Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Zahid Akram Durrani, Shagufta Jumani, Saad Waseem, Shahid Akhtar Ali, Tahira Aurangzeb and Shazia Marri.