ISLAMABAD: The joint opposition on Monday accused the federal government of unleashing attacks on the parliament and the provinces just to hide its incompetence and inability to expand tax net and maintain discipline in its functioning.
Contrary to it, the treasury benches defended the PTI-led government and blamed the past governments for the difficulties Pakistan and its institutions are facing today.
The Senate commenced its 300th session and the first sitting lasted for five hours and 36 minutes. The verbal bout began after MQM Senator Muhammad Ali Saif moved a motion for tabling a constitutional amendment bill for lifting the cap on NFC Award, giving away share of resources to the provinces not less than what they got under the previous NFC Award. He wanted distribution of resources on present-day needs of the provinces.
There was a heated debate that saw barbs flying across the aisle, which forced Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to expunge certain remarks made by opposition senators. Following the debate, the chair after voice vote; went for headcount and the motion for referral of the bill to the committee of the whole was rejected. Senator Saif’s bid was rejected by 25 votes while the government’s 17 members supported the bill.
Senator Saif while introducing the bill to amend Article 160 of the Constitution, which deals with the NFC Award, said it was vital to take decisions on the new NFC Award, taking into account the provinces’ needs and liabilities. He advocated fair and equitable distribution of resources. “Presently, the backward provinces are at great disadvantage as resources are distributed as if Langar is distributed equally,” he contended.
He proposed referral of the bill to the house committee of the whole so that the matter should be thrashed out, inviting the related experts as well. He pointed out that today the federation was not having enough resources to meet the needs of the Centre and the provinces.
Opposing the amendment to amend the NFC Award, Parliamentary leader of PPP in the house Senator Sherry Rehman said: “It is the provinces’ tax collection that is running Pakistan, not the federation, which is complaining about giving away its resources to the provinces. This is a backdoor attack onthe federation’s unity and stability. Have people not seen the history of the country? Had not the country suffered massively because of such attacks on the provinces rights?”
She pointed out that the 1973 Constitution, 18th Amendment and this NFCA formula had gone through a mature democratic process. Don’t attack the parliament and its constitution this way. These attacks are coming from the treasury benches. When they don’t like the parliamentary system, one speaker asks to undo the social contract between the provinces and the federation while another says bring in the presidential system.
“This is Pakistan’s basic social contract, which keeps the country and provinces together. This is a federation. One thing keeps us bonded together, and that is our constitution. But now there are efforts to change this, which has made their dubious aims clear. We will not allow this,” she asserted. “Why they need to extract more money from the provinces? Because they can’t do basic things like even maintaining records of tax collection; the record-breaking increase in public debt and liabilities. The government is staggering in its incompetence and inability to run the country. They are running on unprecedented debt. No government in the past 73 years has taken an additional debt of Rs 619 billion a month, every month. But this government has set a new record, over the past 630 days, the federal government has taken an average Rs 20 billion of additional debt a day, every single day,” she continued.
She claimed the provinces are in surplus tax collection. “If you can’t run the federation, outsource it to us in Sindh, as we are 8 per cent over our targeted tax collection. So are other provinces. It is Islamabad that is repeatedly failing and slipping drastically on every target. We challenge them to talk about this,” she said, adding that the federal government had changed 4-5 FBR heads in the past 18 months, which reflected their shabby mismanagement. “We are given IMF targets, which even they know cannot be met. Now even the IMF was laughing and saying that the recent budget was not balanced one.”
“The attack on the NFC Award is unacceptable. The incompetence and unprecedented mismanagement of this government is a threat to Pakistan. The provinces are running this country and we will not allow the federal government to steal rights of people,” she said.
Senator Mian Raza Rabbani of the PPP said an attempt was being made to give an impression that the opposition and democratic forces are running away from talking on the 18th Amendment. “It is incorrect. We are ready. Our stance is totally unambiguous and we can convince the other side,” he said. He regretted that the privileged class turned Pakistan from the Quaid’s vision of a democratic welfare state to a national security state and a garrison state. “The privileged class wants that Islamabad must have control over all the resources and now the IMF has also joined this class,” he noted.
Senator Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) said if the 18th Amendment is tampered with, this country will not remain the same.
Earlier, speaking on the bill to amend Article 73 of the Constitution, moved by 17 senators, belonging to the treasury and opposition benches, several members spoke for giving financial powers to the Senate and some even wanted the right of vote of no confidence against the prime minister. They complained that it was an exercise in futility to make recommendations on the budget for the consideration of the National Assembly, as in recent years, none of these were incorporated in the budget. Sense of deprivation among the provinces, they noted, was also increasing for their voice in the Senate was not heard. The senators said the basic objective of creation of the Senate was not being met by denying powers to it.
PTI Senator Waleed Iqbal said it appeared the movers did not believe in the parliamentary form of government and matters relating to the prime minister and the budget were part of the National Assembly. He asked did they want a presidential system in the country and this enraged opposition benches.
Advisor on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan assured the house that a debate was under way since long on giving budgetary powers to the Senate and direct election of senators. “There is no harm in having debates. There is no need to worry. Bicameral system is guaranteed in the Constitution. None should worry about it,” he contended.
Earlier, the house offered Fateha for the martyrs of Kashmir, four soldiers martyred in North Waziristan on Sunday, former Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Syed Munawwar Hassan and those who died of COVID-19 across the country.
Several bills were laid before the Senate and they these included the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill 2020; Pakistan Commissions of Inquiry (Amendment) Bill, Islamabad Capital Territory Law Officers Bill 2020; Press Council of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill 2020; Islamabad Capital Territory Criminal Prosecution Service Bill, The Constitution (Amendment) Bill (Amendment of Article 73); Constitution (Amendment) Bill (Amendment of Article 140) and Islamabad Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) Amendment Bill. The bills were referred to the standing committees concerned for further deliberations.
Speaking on a motion by Senator Sherry Rehman, Minister for National Food and Security Syed Fakhar Imam said coordinated steps were being taken at the federal and provincial levels to eradicate locusts.
Responding to the points of the opposition members, Leader of House Dr Shahzad Waseem called for a discussion on the 18th Amendment and the National Finance Commission. He said ten years had passed since the 18th Amendment was adopted, the opposition should show open heartedness and avoid escaping discussion on the amendment. He said both the federation and the provinces would have to move along to take forward the country.
Speaking on a motion, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur said the PTI government plans to grant provisional provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan.
The minister said work on various projects including Diamer Bhasha Dam, two national parks and two hydel power projects has been started in GB. He added the government was focused to explore more tourist sites and develop the existing ones. He said: “We are planning to construct a medical college and an engineering university in GB. Constitutional and administrative reforms will also be made in GB to ensure basic rights of people.”
Speaking on her motion on locusts attack, Sherry Rehman said: “Huge locusts’ swarms are entering Pakistan, reportedly the locust may cause losses of Rs 2,450 billion on Pakistan’s food economy. Last year, Asif Ali Zardari had cautioned federal government about this emerging crisis, but no timely action was planned. Now we are told that the next eight weeks will be critical because of monsoon. Why no action had been taken then?”
She regretted that instead of dealing with the challenges, the government was after the opposition and the media. She referred to Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman who she said was confident and today was 122nd day of his arrest and even now the NAB could not charge him. She lamented the country was being turned into a police state.