LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly's budget debate on Sunday turned into a heated exchange as opposition parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), sharply criticized the provincial budget, calling it a collection of misleading statistics and expressing deep reservations over development priorities. The opposition specifically targeted allocations for South Punjab, agriculture, health, and education, while treasury members defended the government's performance and accused the opposition of using the house for political rhetoric.
Low Attendance and Delayed Start
The proceedings began about one and a half hours behind schedule on the third day of the general discussion on the budget. Only 30 lawmakers were present in the 371-member assembly, comprising 18 from the treasury benches and 12 from the opposition. This sparse attendance set the tone for a session marked by sharp exchanges.
Opposition Allegations of 'Numbers Game'
Opening the debate, opposition MPA Ejaz Shafi alleged that the budget figures were a "numbers game" and claimed that allocations for agriculture, school and higher education, health, and special education had actually been reduced despite the government's claims of increased spending. He questioned the utilization of last year's development funds and criticized what he termed declining investment in public welfare sectors. Alongside budget criticism, he raised the cases of jailed PTI leaders and workers, insisting that they were being denied justice.
PPP lawmaker Wasif Mazhar Ran echoed concerns over the budget, wondering how the government could claim to have presented a tax-free budget while projecting a 65 per cent increase in revenue collection. He urged the government to prioritize health and education.
South Punjab Neglected, Says Opposition
Opposition members repeatedly argued that South Punjab had been ignored in the provincial budget. PTI MPA Nadeem Qureshi claimed only Rs96 billion had been allocated to South Punjab from a development budget of Rs752 billion, despite the region contributing around 40 per cent of Pakistan's agricultural output. He alleged that allocations for higher education and agriculture had remained disproportionately low. He also criticized the government for objecting whenever opposition members raised political issues, remarking that politicians could not be expected to avoid politics in the assembly.
Another opposition member, Ali Imtiaz Warraich, argued that Punjab's budget could not be understood without examining the federal outlay, claiming that the province had transferred Rs546 billion to the federation without adequately taking the assembly into confidence. He criticized the government's overall economic model, alleging that it had failed to improve public services, particularly in South Punjab.
Political Undercurrents Dominate
The opposition speeches frequently shifted from the budget to politics. Several PTI lawmakers claimed the party remained the province's most popular political force despite its leadership being imprisoned. PTI MPA Farrukh Javed Moon challenged the government to hold transparent elections in Lahore, claiming that the ruling PML-N could not win a fair contest. He alleged widespread corruption in departments, criticized the outsourcing of public schools, questioned wheat procurement policies, and accused the government of making false promises during the election campaign.
MPA Saima Kanwal said voters had elected her party to seek the release of imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan and demand the return of what she described as the party's "stolen mandate". She criticized government spending priorities, alleging that public funds were being used for luxury instead of welfare. MPA Zarnab Sher also criticized the budget, alleging that development spending remained limited compared to total expenditures, while accusing the government of reducing allocations for health and education but increasing spending on administrative offices and the Chief Minister's Secretariat.
Law and Order Incident Raised
The debate also briefly turned to law and order after Opposition Leader Moin Riaz Qureshi raised the killing of an Australian-Pakistani child during a police operation in Chakwal. He questioned why similar incidents involving Pakistani citizens had not received the same attention. Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan agreed that an impartial investigation was necessary and directed the government to present details of both the Chakwal incident and another one reported from Bhakkar before the assembly.
