Debate on budget continues amid war of words in KP Assembly

PESHAWAR: War of words between the treasury and opposition members continued as debate on the budget continued in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.

Taking part in the debate, the opposition members termed the budget a floated document while the treasury claimed it was an ideal and historic one, offering sufficient incentives for the public.

Earlie,the joint opposition staged a walk out from the House as a protest against police lathi charge and alleged shelling on protesters of Janikhel, Bannu. Just after recitation from the Holy Quran Sardar Hussain Babak of the Awami National Party (ANP) on a point of order raised the issue and said the opposition was staging a peaceful walkout to register protest over the Janikhel incident.

He said the protesters had staged a sit-in for the last 24 days but nobody from the government bothered to listen to their grievances. The opposition 10 walked out from the House, however, Minister for Local Governments Akbar Auyb and Khalid Khan brought them back.

Sardar Babak said there were reports that recruitment of ‘good Taliban’ is going on openly in Waziristan. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan North Waziristan chapter wrote a letter on June 22, warning women working in government or non-governmental organisations to refrain from such service or duty or else face the consequences. He alleged it was the establishment policy as to why only Pakhtuns are being targetted either it was polio vaccination or other matters. The ANP was targetted and its leaders including parliamentarians were martyred because it stood with the Pakhtun nation, he added.

He said a youth was martyred and a video went viral showing that police were setting on fire their vehicle themselves to blame the protesters who were trying to proceed towards Islamabad. He said the Taliban were regrouping in the tribal districts through a well-hatched conspiracy.

Inayatullah Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) said the issue raised by Babak was of vital importance. The government and law- enforcing agencies should resolve the matter through negotiation with the protester before they march towards Islamabad, he suggested.

Khushdil Khan said the administration should hold an in-camera briefing on the situation and inform the law makers about the actual situation. Minister for Labour and Culture Shaukat Yousafzai in his reply said the Janikhel incident was unfortunate but it was reported that some people had tried to take law into their own hands.

There were sit-ins on three points and the protesters at one point clashed with police. He said the protesters should not do politics on dead bodies and solve the matter through meaningful dialogue.

The chief minister has announced a Rs1 billion development package for Janikhel, he said. He added the opposition should help in maintaining peace to save the province from the situation when bomb blasts and terrorist attacks would occur on a daily basis.

Later speaking on the budget, Ahmad Kundi of PPP said the provincial budget was based on five pillars i.e net hydel profit, oil, gas, water share and tobacco cess, but the PTI government had failed to get its due share.

He said only the net hydel profit of three years stood at Rs576 billion, but the province has not released more than Rs20 to 30 billion. “Despite the fact PTI is in power in the centre and the province KP has not been given its share in federal excise duty on oil and gas,” he said, adding, KP was producing oil worth Rs300 b oil but its share was yet to be decided and released.

On tobacco, Rs 120 billion had been collected but what was provided to the province, he posed a question. He said the provincial government had failed to plead its case and get KP rights. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Sobia Shahid and Sardar Khan, ANP’s Shakil Bashir, Faisal Zaib, Salahuddin Momand and Shahida also spoke on the budget and termed it jugglery of words having nothing for the public saying the government had failed to get its dues of Rs600b of water and Rs 650 billion of NHP.

Shoaib Khan of JUI-F said the finance minister had termed the budget as ideal and historic but last year too he had claimed the budget as historic but only Rs54 billion were allocated for merged districts of which only Rs24 billion could be released.

However, former law minister Sultan Muhammad lauded the opposition role on the occasion of budget speech and also of the chief minister and speaker for keeping the environment cordial. However, he said pre-budget sessions should be arranged. He said the federal budget has an impact on the provincial budget and if the KP share in the PSDP as reported has been reduced then it should be taken with the federal government.

He said the National Finance Commission (NFC) award should also be announced so that the province gets its due share according to increase in population. The federal government, he said, should release the province’s dues on account of net hydel profit. The raise in government employees was a good decision as their salaries had not been increased last year, he said and demanded an increase in the salaries of the assembly secretariat employees . He also demanded raise in the salaries of law-makers.

Minister for Agriculture Mohibullah Khan said health, education, tourism, agriculture and environment remained priorities of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the PTI government had done a lot in these sectors of which people were the witness. CRBLC is in the pipeline to be executed under CPEC.

The PTI Asia Khattak, Khalid Khan, Abdus Salam Afridi, Sumera Shams, Abdul Karim, Zubair Khan, Wilson Wazir and Shafiq Sher Afridi and Baserat Bibi of BAP and independent member Ehtisham Javed also spoke and defended the budget as ideal one.