KP PA passes budget amid opposition boycott

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Monday passed annual budget for financial year 2015-16 as joint opposition continued boycott of the session against alleged rigging and mismanagement in the recent local bodies' polls in the province. A budget of Rs 487.884 billion for upcoming financial year 2015-16 was presented in the house by the Provincial Minister for Finance, Muzaffar Said amid the protest and later boycott of the house by the joint opposition comprising JUI-F, PML-N, ANP and PPP.
None of the legislator of the joint opposition except QWP neither participated in debate on budget nor moved any cut motion on 58 demands for grants presented by different departments to defray expenses to be incurred during the upcoming financial year. Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao, Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli and Begum Meraj Hamayun of QWP party though moved some cut motions, but later withdrawn those so all demands for grants were approved without going on vote for a single demand. However, QWP succeeded in persuading the provincial government for making amendments in KP Finance Bill 2015 and cut in ratio of the of various categories and deleting one whole clause regarding amendment in KP Civil Servants Retirement Benefits and Death Compensation Act, 2014.
In his proposed, amendments, Sikandar Hayat Sherpao objected the inclusion of the already made legislation for amendment as part of the Finance Bill. The Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi while agreeing with the contentions of Sikandar Sherpao termed the inclusion of the amendment as unsuitable. The Senior Minister for Local Governments, Inayatullah Khan, however, tried to come to the rescue of the finance minister through applying the principles 'all money bills are financial bill, but all finance bills are not money bills'. The Speaker, Asad Qaiser announced the deletion of the clause and referred the matter to the Law Reforms Committee of the house.
The Finance Minister Muzaffar Said under Article 123 of the Constitution of Pakistan also presented the Authenticated Schedule for financial year 2015-16 in the house. Later, in his brief speech in the house, the Finance Minister highlighted some salient features of the budget financial year 2015-16 and thanked members for participation in the debate and presenting of proposals in the budget.