F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Finance Aftab Alam on Wednesday told the provincial assembly that we are passing the caretaker government budget for the year 2023-24 and also demanding constitution of a special committee to probe the corrupt practises of former caretaker government in the province.
Finance Minister Aftab Alam while on his winding up speech on the budget, said on floor of the house that legal term for the interim government is three months, but they former interim government has spend 13 months. He said that the former caretaker government have hired over 2700 illegal employees in its unconstitutional term.
Answering to the critcism of opposition benches, Aftab Alam said that we also have reservation over four months budget passed by the assembly, but there was no other way out and we had to fulfill constitutional responsibility. Alam said, “We consider this budget as punishment for the sins, we have never committed.”
Criticising opposition, Minister Aftab said opposition benches have reservations over passing of one month budget, but they never speak on unconstitutional term of former interim government. He clarified that if assembly is not in house, government can pass review budget under article-126 of the constitution. “Opposition members have entered the assembly throigh illegal means,” said Alam, we have passed the budget, but we are still demanding to probe what the former interim government has done.
Aftab Alam has also criticised federal government for not providing provincial net hydel profit of over Rs25 billion. He said if federal government wasnt providing KP fund, then how we will provide facilities to the public of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Speaking about National Finance Commission award, he said KP now has 14 percent share now in NFC award, but under the new NFC award, KP could get 19 percent of the award’s share.
Alam said, “Federal government is not providing Rs100 billion development fund of merged districts.” Earlier, Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Ihsanullah said that people in his constituency are forced to migrate due to lack of water. He said that Chief Minister complains about not getting funds from the federal government, people are suffering from problems in their own area.
The government had allocated 26 billion rupees for the health card, I wish 126 billion should be allocated to provide health facilities. There should be a check and balance on the use of health card, it is not being spent on the poor, said Ihsanullah. He said that billions of rupees are going into the pockets of private hospitals and doctors. He said that it is a pity that no voice is raised on the problems of the common man on this floor. JUI-F MPA Sajjad Khan said that the people of Kohistan are suffering from many deprivations. He said that our district has never been given any scheme in the last ten years of Tehreek-e-Insaaf backed. He said that there are some areas in Kohistan where are no roads.
A special package should be announced in the upcoming budget for three districts of Kohistan, said Sajjad Khan He suggested a coordination committee should be formed to get their rights from the federation. Members should be taken from the government and opposition benches in the committee so that they can talk to the federation in an effective manner, Sajjad Khan added.
Pakistan Muslim League-N MPA Jalal Khan said that I thought that coming here, I would get to learn a lot from the seniors, but unfortunately the members here are fighting like children of KG class. He said that today, the province debt more than 1300 billion and no one pays attention to it.
He said that people do not have bread to eat and drinking water and here we are fighting among ourselves. How the so-called budget became a surplus in which loans to external institutions were not returned, Jalal Khan raised the question. Jalal Khan said that Rs30 billion were taken from the GP fund for the construction of Swat Expressway as GP Fund is the right of government employees, Finance Minister should tell whether this money has been returned to the fund or not.
He said that there is a need to take effective measures to prevent the growing trend of drugs in the province especially in his constituency. Ayesha Bano, Nilofar, Umer Ayub, Makhdoom Aftab, Zahid Chanzeb, Riaz Khan, Rajab Ali Abbasi, also spoke on budget debate and demanded to probe the corruption during caretaker government. Later, the Speaker adjourned the assembly proceeding till May 16 Thursday 2pm.
