The Punjab Assembly’s budget session is currently underway in the Aiwan-i-Iqbal, and is being headed by PTI Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari.
The session began just hours after another, chaired by Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi of the PTI, was conducted at the provincial legislature as the PML-N-led government and the opposition remained locked in an impasse.
Parallel sessions are likely to be held for the first time.
Due to a disagreement with the speaker, the provincial government failed to propose the budget for the new fiscal year despite the fact that the Punjab Assembly had been constituted for the purpose two days prior.
Speaker Elahi refused to conduct the session and allow the provincial budget to be presented in the Punjab Assembly on Monday, demanding that the inspector general of police (IGP) first apologise to him and withdraw all cases filed against PTI and PML-Q workers and parliamentarians in connection with the chaotic April 16 session.
The speaker took a strong stance over the non-appearance of the chief secretary and the IGP, asserting that the proceedings would continue only when both officers were present in the assembly gallery after back-to-back meetings between the treasury and opposition for over six hours, followed by brief proceedings of the house.
Elahi postponed the session until 1 p.m. on Tuesday, after keeping the proceedings delayed until 11 p.m., but without permitting the presentation of the province’s budget for fiscal year 2022-23.
When the assembly’s 40th session reopened on Tuesday, however, little progress could be made. Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, who appeared irritated by the speaker’s methods, declared that he would devise a new plan to address the issue.
Later that day, Governor Balighur Rehman called the 41st session, which will begin at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at Aiwan-i-Iqbal, around 700 metres from the Punjab Assembly (today). The speaker, however, vowed that the 40th session will proceed despite the governor’s directives.
According to reports, the Punjab administration was willing to compromise on the dropping of cases against PTI legislators and workers, but not on the appearance of the IGP and CS in front of the speaker and opposition MPAs in the house. “Hamza is following orders from the senior party leadership on this,” a source said, adding that he has been advised not to give in to the opposition’s demands.
Speaker Elahi told reporters Tuesday night that the scheduled Aiwan-i-Iqbal session was illegal and unconstitutional.
The opposition believes the parallel session will be similar to the’mock’ one organised by the PML-N at a local hotel a few months ago to elect Hamza as CM.
Elahi was reading the law and the Constitution “incorrectly,” according to former Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary Kunwar Dilshad.
“The governor of Punjab has complete constitutional and legal authority. The speaker has no authority to call a session of the provincial legislature “he stated
“The governor of Punjab has the real power, and he has called a session at Aiwan-i-Iqbal to prevent anarchy and danger. I’m not sure what law required an experienced politician like Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to call the session.”
Parallel budget sessions have been criticised by PTI leaders, with former planning and development minister Asad Umar calling them a “spectacle.”
Punjab is experiencing the “biggest constitutional and administrative crisis,” according to former information minister Fawad Chaudhry.
He stated, alluding to current proceedings contesting Hamza’s election as chief minister, “Neither the chief minister nor the cabinet are known.”
“Get rid of [your] obstinacy and ego. Give the people a chance so that the political issue may be resolved and elections can be held “He sent out a tweet.
Proposed budgets
Meanwhile, the cabinet previously approved a budget that recommended a 15% increase in public sector employee salaries, a 5% increase in retired officials’ pensions, and Rs109.1 billion for foreign-funded projects. The proposed budget includes Rs190.58 billion in subsidies and relief packages, as well as Rs1.712 trillion for service delivery in various sectors, which is 20% more than the current fiscal year’s Rs1.428 trillion.
According to the budget paper, the government plans to spend Rs100 billion on social protection (utility support programme) and Rs31.5 billion on south Punjab alone in the coming fiscal.
Other major programmes included a Rs9 billion road rehabilitation programme, a Rs5 billion land purchase programme for development projects, a Rs1.35 billion minority development programme, and a Rs1.5 billion laptop distribution programme for students.
The planned sectoral allocations are Rs1,083.69 billion for social and infrastructure development, Rs216.68 billion for infrastructure development, Rs127.32 billion for production, Rs663.15 billion for services, and Rs306 billion for special projects.
