QUETTA: After an intense debate, the Balochistan Assembly approved the provincial budget of Rs352.2 billion without much opposition as leader of the opposition Abdul Rahim Khan Ziaratwal of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and other MPAs boycotted Monday evening’s session.

Mr Ziaratwal and other party members said they did not attend the session because they were not allowed to submit cut motions on demand drafts.

Officials of the provincial assembly, however, claimed that the opposition did not submit the cut motions on time which is usually two days in advance.

According to Mr Ziaratwal, he was not given any details of the demand drafts on Saturday despite the fact that he spent the entire day at the assembly waiting for them.

Opposition leader Rahim Ziaratwal boycotts session, claims he was not allowed to submit cut motions

Later, however, three members of the PkMAP, including two women, did show up at the session. Also missing in action was Dr Ruquyia Saeed Hashmi, who resigned from her position as adviser to the chief minister on finance. In her absence, Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo held the ministry’s portfolio and presented 56 demand drafts before the assembly.

During the session, which was presided over by Speaker Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani, Mr Bizenjo presented for approval 47 demand drafts of non-development and nine of development budgets. The lawmakers present in the house, including members of the National Party, did not oppose any of the drafts.

Demand drafts of Rs264bn for non-development and Rs88.2bn for development budgets for the next financial year were approved. Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) member Mufti Gulab walked out of the session in protest against the shifting of some of the dam projects to other areas from his constituency.

In the new budget, the provincial government has allocated more funds for the public sector; around Rs88.2bn has been allocated for the provincial Public Sector Develop­ment Programme to provide relief to the people of Balochistan.

Summing up the budget debate, the chief minister appreciated the members of all political parties, including the JUI-F, NP and BNP-Mengal, and said they had played their role in finalising the annual budget. “We are democratic people and must pursue democratic values in our assembly,” he added.

The provincial government decided to improve the performance of the Balochistan Revenue Authority to collect more taxes to contain the budget deficit.

Mr Bizenjo termed it an “awami” budget in which the government made efforts to provide maximum facilities to the masses at their doorstep. He said education was his government’s top propriety and in the budget it had allocated funds for providing shelter to 1,700 “shelterless schools” in the province. Around 300 school buildings would be renovated, he added.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2018