Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly on Friday continued boycott of the budget discussion for the fourth consecutive day, leaving hardly any point of interest for the treasury benches to respond to the traditional input by opposition members on the proposed budget.

The opposition continued to hold informal proceedings outside the parliament to mark their protest as government refused to budge on its stance on the issue of live telecast of speeches by the opposition members.

The debate on budget for financial year 2017-18 started in the Lower House on May 29 and since then the joint opposition has boycotted the proceedings in protest against government refusal to telecast their speeches live on the state-run television.

Opposition parties are of the view that the speech of the opposition leader was telecast live on the PTV in 2015 and that the government has no point in refusing the opportunity to them now. They have been demanding the government allow their speeches to be telecast live on PTV since the start of the budget session but the government seems in no mood to move from its stance.

The opposition’s boycott of the budget session has brought a sigh of relief for the treasury as this time it is not facing the criticism over budget proposals which it usually has to digest when opposition participates in the debate on budget.

Referring to the remarks of Nehal Hashmi, Opposition Leader in National Assembly Khurshid Shah strongly bashed government for threatening judges who were hearing Panama Leaks case. He asked the PML-N leaders to justify their claims of working for the supremacy of parliament and the democracy. He said the incumbent government had not rendered any sacrifice for the sake of democracy.

Shah criticized the government by reciting a poetic verse and then told National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to telecast budget speeches live to ensure opposition’s participation. “We should not be scared of any Modi or Jindal … we should be afraid of Allah only, as He holds the ultimate power,” Shah said.

The opposition members said a nation becomes stronger when it empowers its parliament, which should be the centre of all politics. He said the government was fomenting conflict with other state institutions which could have devastating consequences for the country. He wondered how a senator could have the courage to make such remarks. He maintained that despite all the sacrifices his party had made for the sake of democracy, they never uttered such remarks.

About budget for the next fiscal year, the opposition leaders said that the budget was meant for the betterment of the masses and contribution of opposition in its passage was important. He said the proposed budget for the next financial year was not people-friendly as no relief had been announced for oppressed segments of the society.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the statement of Nehal Hashmi was condemnable and the party had taken appropriate action against him.

In his address in the National Assembly, Khawaja Asif said that Nehal Hashmi’s party membership had been cancelled and he had also resigned from the seat of senator. He said that PML-N believed in superiority of state institutions and that “we have sacrificed a lot for the judiciary.”

The minister said it was the result of the struggle of the PML-N that judiciary had been strengthened in the country. He reiterated that it was collective responsibility of both the government and the opposition to work for strengthening the state institutions under the constitutional mandate available to them.

“They (PPPP’ representatives) are cashing in the goodwill of the sacrifices of their leaders but not arresting the murderers of Benazir Bhutto. All of them know well who the murderers are. Shah Sahib, rangbazi (gimmickry) would not be allowed,” Asif maintained.

At this point, the speaker intervened and asked Kh Asif to avoid using the word ‘rangbazi’ and that he was expunging the word from the proceedings. To which, Kh Asif asked what was wrong with ‘rangbazi’. “I need to check with dictionary for it,” the speaker responded.

The proceedings of the House were adjourned till Monday.