Sherry highlights Senate’s limited role in budget proceedings

ISLAMABAD: PPP’s parliamentary leader Senator Sherry Rehman in the Senate on Tuesday spoke about the Senate’s limited role in the budget proceedings and emphasised the need for reviewing this matter.

On a point of public importance in the house, and in response to Leader of Opposition Syed Shibli Faraz’s numerous complaints against the treasury benches, Senator Rehman said, “The Senate creates a balance between the centre, provinces, and political parties, but its powers are limited in the budget process. As per rules, the Senate Standing Committee on Finance has 14 days to submit its recommendations, which the National Assembly can accept or reject at its discretion.”

She pointed out that this year, the committee made 128 recommendations after detailed deliberations with all stakeholders. Normally, most of the Senate recommendations are rejected within minutes in the National Assembly.

“Our recommendations should not be dismissed. This house is not a second-class parliament. The economic audit occurring in the Senate is unparalleled, yet we lack budgetary authority. Senate recommendations should be discussed and implemented; the Senate is not just a debating club,” she added.

Senator Rehman called for a meeting of the Committee of the Whole to address these concerns and develop a concrete plan of action.

She criticised the PTI for ‘obstructing budget speeches’ and not participating in the passage of a resolution against extremism, claiming the PTI did not allow budget speeches yesterday.

“We moved a resolution against extremism in the Senate, but Tehreek Insaf members did not sign it as they were busy protesting. This unfortunate attitude meant the resolution, which should have been passed unanimously, was passed by majority vote instead. The PTI is now complaining about not being asked to sign the resolution, which is simply not true,” she noted.

It is unacceptable for the government, she emphasised, to present a resolution without securing the opposition’s signature. The Tehreek Insaf also refused to sign a similar agreement in the National Assembly. Referring to the leader of the opposition, she remarked, “Such arrogance is detrimental. As a former leader of the opposition, I understand the importance of constructive participation. Daily displays of anger, possibly instructed, only increase bitterness.”

Taking the floor earlier, Leader of Opposition Shibli Faraz regretted that the atmosphere in the house needed to be conducive, which it was not, and they were being pushed to the wall as the opposition. He claimed their questions, calling attention notices, and other tools for discussing the deteriorating economy were ‘killed’ in the chamber despite being as per the rules of business and conduct of the house.

He insisted it was their moral and legal right to ask questions, being representatives of the provinces and people, but sabotaging the process of oversight, a crucial role of the parliament, would serve none and be alarming. “You can’t judge your performance this way. You will need our support, which would be there if this policy towards the opposition is not changed, as you can’t clap with one hand,” he remarked, while Chairman of the Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said, “Your support is needed even now.”

He also complained that on Monday, based on the tyranny of the majority, a resolution was passed without taking the opposition on board or even showing the draft to them. Only after it was pointed out did a minister try to share a copy of the resolution. He disputed Sherry’s claim that the resolution was shown to them. He challenged it and noted that the related video would confirm that the government tried to share it with them only after it was adopted.

Shibli hinted at not allowing the government to do its house business if it continued with the policy of pushing the opposition to the wall as if they were ‘children of a lesser god.’ The chairman assured the leader of opposition that he would look into the points he had raised and held out an assurance to him that he would not feel like that.

Law Minister Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar rose to clarify that they got the resolution signed by Senator Manzoor Kakar and some others, but ‘our friends were not in a mood to pay heed to it.’ The minister also assured the members that before the launch of the operation ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’, it will be discussed in an ‘in-camera’ meeting, after which the operation will be launched.

Tarar made it clear that an explanation about the operation was given a day ago in the National Assembly as well. He said that the operation would be discussed first in the cabinet and then in the closed-room meeting of parliament’s National Security Committee. Referring to the reported statements of two ministers, PTI’s Saifullah Abro said it was quite alarming that the government wanted to involve his party founder in more cases for which an atmosphere was being created.

He pointed out that Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal recently said that the nation had decided that Imran Khan should remain in jail for five years so that the economy could be strengthened. He also said Defence Minister Khawaja Asif talked about the likely new cases to be filed against the party’s ex-chairman.

“If you want to file a case and do an inquiry, then go for it against the national cricket team for its defeat in the World Cup in the USA,” he remarked. He said Imran was on the government’s nerves, but it could not do anything, as the nation had given its verdict in his favour in the general elections this year. “You can only bomb him after he is released; otherwise, you could not do anything against him,” he asserted.

Abro also quoted a statement of ex-governor of Sindh and ‘disgruntled’ PMLN leader Muhammad Zubair Umar, who said that Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Leader of the House in the Senate Ishaq Dar was responsible for Pakistan’s economic crisis. He also alleged that Dar, the four-time finance minister of the country, would not let incumbent Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb work.

He claimed, “At present, the entire economic team (of the government) belongs to Dar; Zubair had unveiled many secrets and talked about some meetings of former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa.”

Facing repeated interruptions by some PMLN lawmakers, he warned the government not to frame fake cases against Imran Khan only to keep him in jail, advising the ruling coalition to deliver on its promises made to people and focus on its work instead of targeting the incarcerated former prime minister.

PMLN stalwart Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, taking the floor on his turn, said that it was their responsibility to maintain the sanctity of the house. He pointed out that Senator Abro presented the statement of Zubair Umar against Foreign Affairs Minister Dar as evidence, ignoring the fact that the former governor had also been speaking against the PTI for six years. He asked what Abro had to say about those statements.

He contended, “Such talk is used only to waste the time of the house; otherwise, he can bring speeches of Zubair, he had made against the PTI and its party chairman in the past, and I request the chair to play its role to ensure that such futile discussions should not be held in the House in the future to keep the environment conducive.” Later, the house was prorogued sine die.