Opposition walks out of budget session in protest

The opposition walked out of the national assembly’s budget session in protest as it demanded that the budget should have been present for four months only.

“You cannot deprive the next elected government of its right to present the budget. It is morally wrong for an outgoing government to present the budget for one whole year, said the Opposition Leader Khurshid Shah said while criticizing the government on the floor. 

 The PML-N government will complete its tenure by May 31 this year after which the caretaker government will hold general elections.

Khurshid Shah said the PML-N was raising a slogan “vote ko izzat do” (respect the vote) and it was disrespecting the vote itself. He said that the Prime Minister could have presented this budget or asked State Minister for Finance Rana Muhammad Afzal, who is an elected person of this house to present the budget.

Apart from it, Khurshid Shah said the PML-N government made a non-elected person Finance Minister, who was going to present the budget. The PML-N proved it did not respect the vote, he added.

Speaking on the floor, the PTI Leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi also voiced that Rana Muhammad Afzal should present the budget.

The session saw an exchange of hot words between Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf's member Murad Saeed and the ruling PML-N minister for state Abid Sher Ali while the Finance Minister was delivering budget speech.  

PTI's @MuradSaeedPTI and PML-N's Abid Sher Ali come to blows during budget speech#Budget2018 pic.twitter.com/uIS7zelhBY

— Qaiser Afridi (@qaiser_afridi10) April 27, 2018

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that PML-N government considers its responsibility to present the budget to run the affairs of the government.

He was responding to points raised by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khurshid Shah and PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi prior to the budget presentation.

He said PML-N would make the next government and “if unfortunately, someone else makes the government, they have a complete authority and right to make changes in the budget.”

He said Miftah Ismail will present the budget and it is the decision of the cabinet and there is nothing unlawful in it.  He said right of presenting the budget belongs to that person who prepares and makes the budget with hard work and dedication.

The Prime Minister said Rana Muhammad Afzal, as Minister of State for Finance, assisted Miftah Ismail in the preparation of the budget. He said the budget presents unprecedented relief to the people of Pakistan.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi says the government is going to provide great relief to the masses in the budget for next fiscal year.

Following the speech of the Prime Minister, the opposition walked out of the House.