Sindh Assembly budget debate: PPP leader cautions situation may culminate in winding up of democratic system

A senior ruling PPP's legislator on Monday cautioned that the current political situation' may culminate in winding up of the entire democratic dispensation if opposition and ruling parties did not act wisely. During budget debate in Sindh Assembly, Sindh Works and Services Minister, Mir Hazaar Khan Bijarani said that the 'leg-pulling' trend at a time when the country's army is battling against terrorists in North Waziristan may cause a big blow to the entire democratic system.
He urged the opposition and ruling parties to act wisely and cautiously to scale down the political tension in the country and support Pakistan Army in uprooting terrorists from North Waziristan - Pashtun tribal belt, bordering Afghanistan. "Leg pulling at a time when army is in a state of war against terrorists will create problems for federal and provincial governments and law enforcers," he opined, warning that political chaos will exhaust democracy.
"We need to show unity, its our country's security issue. The entire country is fed-up of terrorism. We want peace to prosper," he said, adding that the political parties from either side should judiciously act to offset the attempts that are made to divert the nation to other crisis.
"The PPP is standing by army on war on terror and will want to see the democratic process to continue. I request for donation of one-day salary of members of provincial assembly to the IDPs rehabilitation," said Bijarani. On budget, he said the critical analysis of budget by opposition is a general trend world-wide, which largely provides a set of proposals for improving governance. He also urged the opposition to witness the budget with patients and seriousness.
To a complaint by PML-F lawmaker, Jam Madad Ali Khan, about aborting construction of a Sanghar road, he said the department had found deficiencies in the structure standard of the thoroughfare and abandoned till an inquiry on it competes. "The road has some deficiencies and the department stopped construction on it till an inquiry into it completes and I assure Jam Madad Ali of construction work resumption on the road in line with the world standards," he told the house.
He also enumerated a number of schemes that the government has completed in the outgoing fiscal year and some are nearing completion. He claimed the government has completed 2600 kilometres of roads in the province this fiscal year, saying the remaining schemes will finish by June 26.
Sindh Information Minister, Sharjeel Inam Memon hit back at criticism of opposition and went into a personal clash with a number of legislators without naming them. He did not bother to focus on his budget speech and selected a specific path to malign his opponents indirectly.
He said several opposition legislators get their jobs done through the PPP government while criticising the budget 2014-15 in the house. There is an opposition lawmaker, who struggles and coaxes into joining the PPP. "If budget is so bad and the PPP failed in governance then why are you seeking to join the PPP," he disdained.The house went into chaos as opposition members began hooting and called for naming the lawmakers who are getting their jobs done or seeking to join PPP. The speaker however called the opposition to show restraints while the minister is speaking on budget.
He said the proposal on agriculture income is not justified as farm owners pay big taxes under different heads. He said the Sindh agriculture tax starts from Rs 80, 000 income, while such a levy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is placed over an amount exceeding Rs 400, 000.
He called for reducing agriculture tax from existing 15 percent and proposed a slab to tax the farmers. He said the farm owners' shares 50 percent income with farmers working for crops cultivation. He claimed the Sindh government's 90 percent RO plants were functional in the province. Sharjeel said the government has earmarked Rs 42 billion for Karachi in the next budget which is greater in value to the MQM's proposed amount of Rs 180 million. A PPP's legislator, Ijaz Bhurt, indirectly charged the opposition with 'martial-law-grown political parties, which created uproar in the house and suspended the proceedings.
The deputy speaker, Shehla Raza lost her impartiality by siding with the treasury as she passed remarks like 'it is compulsion' to bear the noisy opposition. Ijaz said the PPP improved academic and healthcare sectors for the public. He appreciated the government's budgetary moves.
Jam Madad Ali Khan said the government should introduce a cotton policy for the province and complained of urea shortage despite the input crop ingredient availability on the market. He said that urea is being sold on high price which is beyond the small farmers' purchasing power. The Sindh Agriculture Department should be scarped for failing to provide support to farmers, he said
He appreciated former premier late Benazir Bhutto for her economic and social development vision, but regretted the PPP government did not meet her ambitious goals for human prosperity. He said the former president Asif Zardari had also played a key role in making of 18th Constitutional amendment and NFC award, urging the PPP provincial government to fight for the province economic rights with the federal government.
Mehmood Abdul Razaq of MQM proposed the government to introduce a unanimous taxation system for urban and rural parts of the province. He said the government should also place a rationing system to help the poor class of urban parts of the province with low-cost essential commodities. He regretted the extra-spending of provincial government on non-development side, saying the province's development should not be compromised. He also demanded for revision of land and agriculture tax. The house will meet on Tuesday morning.