PTI govt gathers lawmakers’ force to pass mini-budget during NA session

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has gathered lawmakers’ force along with his allies to tackle opposition’s expected protest to block the passage of Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021, known as mini-budget, in today’s National Assembly (NA) session.

PTI led federal government has gathered the support of its prominent allies, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM), to pass mini-budget in today’s NA session.

Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) had already expressed agreement to support the government’s mini-budget, whereas, Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) also affirmed to back it if new taxes were not imposed on the common man.

Yesterday, all government lawmakers had been invited to dinners hosted by Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief ministers in Islamabad. Moreover, the ruling political party had also confirmed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s participation in the crucial NA session.

The federal government is likely to pass the finance supplementary bill at any cost today as the general debate continued in the Lower House for the last two days.

Chaotic NA session: Top opposition leaders play truant as govt tables mini-budget

It was learnt that a strategy has been finalised to cope with the expected protest of the opposition parties as they have seemingly joined hands to do maximum efforts for blocking the passage of the mini-budget in the Lower House of the Parliament today.

PM Imran Khan will also chair a session of PTI parliamentary party before the NA session to give go-ahead to the strategy of government lawmakers to make mini-budget sail through the Lower House.

On the other hand, the major opposition parties, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), have planned to demonstrate a strong protest in the NA session on mini-budget.

PML-N and PPP top leaders, Shahbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, had reportedly met to discuss the protest strategy against the mini-budget. The opposition had also directed its workers to gather outside the parliament to oppose the mini-budget.

Mini-budget: Coalition partners come in support of PTI govt

It may be noted that Finance Minister Senator Shaukat Tarin had tabled mini-budget on January 4 which is necessary legislation to receive another $1 billion tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during the sixth review of the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility.

The session had been marred by chaos, however, the top opposition leaders played truant after making tall claims to defend the nationals’ rights who later took to the assembly’s floor yesterday.

Despite heated speeches by the opposition leaders against the mini-budget, the top opposition leaders including Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, former president and Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had not shown up to the important session on January 4.

Mini-budget

Ahead of the sixth review of the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) by the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive board, the federal government has decided to introduce an amended finance and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) autonomy bills in the Parliament on December 28 (today).

Mini-budget: Govt likely to face tough time in NA as opposition vows resistance

Shaukat Tarin, who had sworn in as the federal minister after becoming a senator, said that Pakistan will accept the IMF conditions prior to the upcoming review meeting. He had announced that the government will withdraw Rs350 billion worth of tax exemption through the mini-budget.

It may be noted here that the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive board had been scheduled to hold its sixth review of the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) on January 12 but it was deferred on the federal government’s request.