Lawmakers and economic bodies urged to take part in budget discussions

Faisal Karim Kundi, Acting Speaker National Assembly has called for enhancing interaction between parliamentarians, economic organisation and public for creating wide spread acceptability of the annual national budget. He asked the Parliamentarians to actively participate in the Budget process so that it may reflect the aspirations of their electorates.
He expressed these views while addressing a workshop organised by PILDAT on Parliamentary Committees and Budget Process, here on Wednesday, says a press release received here from National Assembly Secretariat, Islamabad. The Acting Speaker said that budget process in any parliament is of vital importance through which the government establishes its economic and social priorities and sets the direction of the economy.
He said that if the parliamentarians actively participate in the process, they could effectively highlight the concerns of their electorate for proper budget allocation for their socio-economic uplift. Kundi said that Parliamentary Committees were empowered by the rules of Procedure governing the conduct of the parliamentary committees to review the budget allocated to their respective ministries; therefore, the Committees should regularly examine their spending.
He said that due to inadequate information and facilities, majority of them could not actively participate in the budget process. He appreciated the efforts of PILDAT for organising the workshop which would be helpful for parliamentarians to actively take part in the forth coming budget session of the Parliament.
Faisal Karim Kundi said that Pakistan was presently facing financial crunch, which owe to the recession world-wide. The present democratic government had devised policies which would make the economy of Pakistan more vibrant and attract foreign investment into the country. He called upon the nation to support government in its initiatives. Naveed Qamar, Minister for Privatisation, Chairmen and Members of various Standing Committees in the National Assembly and Senate attended the workshop.