Shaukat slams Opposition for boycotting budget proceeding

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: Provincial Minister for Information Shaukat Ali Yousafzai Tuesday strongly criticized opposition for boycotting budget proceeding in KP Assembly, saying the opposition should have heard the budget speech.

Talking to media after budget proceeding, Shaukat Yousafzai said being the public representatives the opposition members were supposed to hear the budget speech to suggest their recommendations for public welfare instead of agitating for their detained leaders.

He said in a recent meeting between the government and opposition at Speaker’s Chamber regarding budget, the government assured to meet the demands of opposition but as to why the opposition boycotted the assembly proceedings and tore budget papers was not understandable.

He said the opposition’s boycott was apparently aimed to pressurize the government for release of PPP leader Asif Ali Zardar and PMLN’s Nawaz Sharif adding Zardari and Nawaz Sharif looted the national kitty and destroyed the country’s economy and the government would not succumb to any pressure.

“Soon more corruption cases against others would be surfaced,” Shaukat said.

He said the KP government presented unprecedented tax free budget and decreased salaries of cabinet members by 12 percent as part of austerity measures.

The Minister said the government has allocated separate funds for backwards districts especially merged districts in education, health, sports and others sectors to bring them at par with settle areas.