ISLAMABAD, June 8: The opposition described the government’s economic and other policies as harmful to national interests and vowed to change it at the start of a general debate on the new federal budget in the National Assembly on Thursday.
In the face of only a subdued defence from the ruling coalition, members of opposition parties termed the budget as pro-rich and relief measures such as price subsidies and pay raise for government employees as inadequate.
Army’s role in politics, price hike and the alleged victimisation of political opponents came under criticism from the opposition speakers, including opposition leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman and People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) president Amin Fahim.
But, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) acting parliamentary leader Nisar Ali Khan stole the show with a devastating denunciation of the government.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi was the main speaker from the government benches who tried to exploit old rivalries between opposition parties, provoking angry taunts for his desertion to the ruling coalition after winning the 2002 election on a PPP ticket.
Maulana Fazl, who criticised the increase in the defence budget, said he had no objection to spending for improving the military’s fighting capability but would not give money to “fire bullets on and kill our own people” as happening in the North Waziristan.
He called the budget as “a message of more dearness” because of policy-making by a particular class that he said could lead to a “class war” in the country.
The opposition leader disputed the government’s claims about good governance and transparency in privatising state enterprises and said “such people neither had a right to rule nor their accountability was credible”.
The maulana, who is also secretary-general of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), said that the struggle to put the country back on the rails would continue.
Mr Niazi recalled the main MMA parties’ role in the 1977 agitation to topple then prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and alleged collaboration with Gen Zia, who hanged Mr Bhutto. He, however, thanked the MMA for supporting the government in passing the 17th constitutional amendment that helped Gen Pervez Musharraf to stay as president.
The minister doubted the sincerity of the PPP and the PML-N in signing a ‘charter of democracy’ in London last month. He recalled that the then PML-N government had instituted “false” cases against PPP leader Benazir Bhutto forcing her to leave the country.
Mr Fahim said the budget would benefit “some lobbies” and had nothing for the poor, pointing to reports of frequent suicides committed by people frustrated with economic hardships and unemployment.
He challenged the government’s oft-repeated claim that it had broken the “begging bowl” for foreign aid and said the latest World Bank commitment to give Pakistan a $6.5 loan proved it was not so.
Mr Nisar criticised the army’s interference in politics, military operations in Balochistan and Waziristan, Pakistan’s role in the so-called US-led war against terrorism and the alleged victimisation of PML-N and PPP leaders, including Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto.
