Federal Budget: NA has no powers to vote on Federal Consolidated Fund: JUI-F

ISLAMABAD: The role of the parliament in relation to the federal budget is marked with constitutional anomalies— with National Assembly having no powers to vote on the Federal Consolidated Fund in the budget— Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) lawmaker Kamran Murtaza said in the Senate on Thursday.

Under Article 82 of the constitution, the lower house of the parliament can only discuss the Federal Consolidated Fund but it cannot vote on this fund, he said on the floor of the house, as Senate resumed discussion after Eid on the proposed federal budget.

“They (NA) can sit and talk but they cannot go for voting as far as the Federal Consolidated Fund is concerned,” he said.

The Article 82(1) of the constitution provides, “so much of the Annual Budget Statement as relates to expenditure charged upon the Federal Consolidated Fund may be discussed in, but shall not be submitted to the vote of, the National Assembly.”

The Federal Consolidated Fund, under Article 78(1), is defined as “all revenues received by the federal government, all loans raised by that government, and all moneys received by it in repayment of any loan, shall form part of a consolidated fund, to be known as the Federal Consolidated Fund.”

Moreover, the JUI-F senator said, the Senate can hold debate on the federal budget and give budgetary recommendations to the NA, but, it is up to the lower house to accept those recommendations or reject them, completely or partially, under Article 73.

“We are the upper house but we can only devise recommendations. Accepting or rejecting those recommendations is up to the lower house—that’s a serious constitutional anomaly,” Murtaza said.

Ali Zafar from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took on the federal government for preparing “anti-poor” budget. “There is a wider consensus—that this budget is anti-poor. It breaks the backbone of the people who are already the taxpayers,” he deplored.

Zafar pointed out the absence of cabinet members, the ministers in particular, in the Senate session. “This shows the level of seriousness of this government about the budget,” he said.

The senator urged Deputy Chairman Senate Syedaal Khan, who was presiding over the session, to summon Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb for briefing the house on the budget. The chair directed the Senate Secretariat to call the finance minister—but he did not show up at the session. State Finance Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik appeared on the finance minister’s behalf and informed the house that Aurangzeb was in the NA where he was hearing the speech of Leader of the Opposition in NA Omar Ayub. The state minister assured the house that the finance minister would attend the Senate session after fulfilling his commitments at the NA. However, Aurangzeb did not brief the Senate that was adjourned till today (Friday).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024