Opposition holds mock session outside Parliament

Members of the Opposition parties in the National Assembly held a mock session outside the Parliament House on Wednesday to register a protest against the government for not telecasting their speeches about the budget 2017-18 live on Pakistan Television News. Irrespective of the opposition's protest, the government continued normal proceedings of the session and different members from treasury benches spoke on merits of the budget presented by Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on May 26.
All Opposition parties including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) attended the mock session outside the Parliament House. They also chanted vociferous slogans against the government during the session while holding placards inscribed with "Go Nawaz Go" and load-shedding related slogans.
Earlier, preparations were made for the parliamentary session outside the Parliament and for the purpose more than two dozen chairs and some pedestal fans were placed for the members. PTI's Dr Arif Alvi initially chaired the session and later MQM's Kishwer Zehra presided over proceedings of the session. Addressing the members, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah said the government has failed to allocate sufficient funds for sectors like education, health and environment.
Questioning the government's energy policy, he said, "China is gradually phasing out its coal-fired power plants, but Pakistan is installing them despite all their environmental hazards." "We are told that planning is under way to solve the water crisis," he said, adding the government has allocated mere Rs 20 billion for construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam.
Shah said that people are being faced with 12 to 18 hours load-shedding across the country and have been protesting against the government. "The rulers don't care about the problems of the poor," he lamented. He said the government has also ignored the agriculture sector in the budget that is backbone of the country's economy and around 40 percent labour is linked with it. He urged the government to give more incentives to the agriculture sector to improve economic condition of the farmers.
Continuing the discussion, PTI member Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that 14 to 18 hour load shedding is taking place across the country and other economic policies of the government are also hitting the poor people badly. "The government has failed. It is failing to provide people with electricity, gas and water," he said, adding that education and health are not even priorities of the government.
Addressing the session, PTI member Asad Umar claimed Pakistan's exports have never been this low in its history because the government has failed to give viable incentives to the industry and agriculture sector. He also pointed out that foreign and domestic debt of the country has increased manifold during the tenure of the current government, besides its failure to arrest the current account deficit.
MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar said the government is fulfilling its expenditures by getting loans from foreign and domestic lenders. "I fear that our budget deficit may soar to 8 per cent next year if the government fails to mend its ways," he said. He said the government is offering 12 per cent incentive to euro bond investors and this is discouraging foreign businessmen to invest in Pakistan. "The government started its journey from payment of Rs 400 billion circular debt and after four years it has reached to Rs 400 billion again", he said.
Sattar said the government has failed to boost the exports despite getting a GSP-Plus status in 2014, adding the exporters cannot compete in the international market due to poor policies of the government. Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq sent a delegation comprising Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer to persuade the opposition members to join the proceedings inside the house, but failed to convince them. The opposition members started chanting "Go Nawaz Go" slogans during the presence of Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who eventually went back without negotiating with the members.