LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Local Government Raja Basharat on Wednesday said the PA session commencing from June 13 would be the budget session while annual budget of Punjab for the year 2019-20 would be presented in PA on Friday.
During a media briefing here, the minister lauding the federal government on presenting a balanced budget in hard economical circumstances, assured that the Punjab budget would also be public friendly.
The PA had made record legislation by passing 17 bills during last eight months and would pass more in coming sessions, he said.
The minister criticised the previous PML-N government which left heavy debts of Rs 2600 billion. He connected the present price hike to the foreign debts and loans borrowed by the former regimes.
"Why the country should not face bankruptcy whereof the sitting Prime Minister deliberately helps a NAB accused finance minister flee from the country in his official plane?", he questioned.
Raja Basharat said the PTI government would not leave any stone unturned to steer the country out of crisis.
In the past, funds from the national exchequer were spent to benefit the personal belongings such as construction of drains for sugar mills and roads for personal residences, he added.
He said that local bodies' elections in Punjab would be conducted in accordance with the schedule submitted by the government to the Lahore High Court.
To a question, he said that poor public reaction on arrest of Asif Ali Zardari and Hamza Shehbaz showed that the people were not supporting them rather they standing with Imran Khan's firm stand on eradication of corruption from the country.
Commenting on the anticipated agitation on Judges' reference, the minister said Chief Justice of Pakistan had clarified that the matter of Judges' reference would be purely decided by the judiciary and not by the government.
The government had a point of view over it that nobody was above the law and across the board accountability should be held, he said, adding that majority of the lawyers were also supporting the stance of the government.
He said, so far, more than 25 Bar Associations of Punjab had assured the government that they would not be a part of any move or strike.
The government appreciated such positive attitude demonstrated by a large faction of lawyers' community, Raja said.
Provincial Minister for Prosecution Ch. Zaheerud Din, Parliamentary Secretary for Law Syed Abbas, MPA Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, President Lahore Press Club Arshad Ansari, President Press Gallery Committee Mian Aslam and Secretary Faizan Bangash were also present.