In outdoor NA session, opposition slams federal budget
Mock session being held in response to opposition’s reservations that their budget speeches were not covered live
May 31, 2017
ISLAMABAD: Opposition members boycotted the National Assembly session Wednesday morning and held a session outside Parliament.
Members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), among others, are attending the session.
The session was initially chaired by PTI’s Arif Alvi.
The finance minister tried to deceive the people, claimed opposition members, adding that the fiscal deficit is more than that stated by the government.
Opposition not being given the right to give their opinion on television, claimed PTI’s Shireen Mazari. "This is why we have kept a session outside the Parliament,” said Mazari.
Alvi started a debated on the ongoing power crises in the country. JI’s Sahibzada Tariqullah started the debate by pointing out that people in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are facing 14-hour load shedding every day.
Continuing the discussion, PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi remarked that 14 to 18 hour load shedding is taking place across the country.
“The government has failed. It is failing to provide people with electricity, gas and water.” Health and education are not even a priority of the government, he added.
Addressing the members, opposition leader from the PPP, Khursheed Shah, said “250 million is the population of the country according to the census.” What will happen if the country’s population becomes 500 million in the next 15 years? he asked.
“We are told that planning is under way to solve the water crisis. Only Rs20 billion have been allocated for construction of the Bhasha Dam. If this continues then the dam will be built in 20 years,” he cautioned.
People in Karachi are out on streets as they have no electricity, he remarked further.
“The rulers don’t care about the problems of the poor,” he lamented further.
Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai came outside the parliament and tried to reason with Khursheed Shah during the opposition leader’s address but Shah responded, “I will talk to you after getting free from here.”
The opposition members started chanting ‘Go Nawaz Go’ slogans during the presence of PML-N-allied Achakzai, who eventually went back.
Addressing the session, PTI's Asad Umer claimed Pakistan's exports have never been this low in its history.
Earlier, preparations were made for the parliamentary session outside the National Assembly. For the purpose, chairs were placed, carpets were rolled out and fans also been placed at different points.
On Tuesday, the opposition boycotted the National Assembly session and announced to hold the next session outside the parliament.
The move came in response to the opposition’s reservations that their speeches over the federal budget were not given live coverage by the state broadcaster — Pakistan Television.
Shah had remarked, “Opposition is steadfast on its demand that its budget speech should be given live coverage.”
"Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani has set the right example in this regard. If the opposition’s speech in the Senate is broadcast live then why not in the National Assembly? he asked."
All opposition parties will gather outside the parliament tomorrow [Wednesday], he had said, adding that “we will discuss all those issues which we are not supposed to raise inside the assembly.”
