PM regrets over PML-N attitude

Islamabad —Addressing the Parliamentary Party meeting of the PPP MNAs and coalition partners the Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani deplored the attitude of the Opposition, the PML (N), on the budget day and added that it was the repeat of the history when the opposition resorted to rowdyism and the treasury benches had to cordon off the Finance Minister and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the then Prime Minister.

Party meeting of the PPP MNAs and coalition partners was held at the Committee Room of the Parliament House under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani here on Tuesday to devise strategy during the budget session.

The Prime Minister said that the civil society and the media did not like the extremely un-parliamentary, undemocratic and unethical behaviour of the opposition party on the budget day.

The Prime Minister said that the PPP and the PML (Q) had decided not to disrupt the budget session of the Punjab Assembly where they have about 175 members.

The Prime Minister said that the people of Pakistan want the opposition to behave like a democratic entity and desist from hooliganism, and instead concentrate on pointing out the deficiencies in the budget and give proposals to the government for improving the health of the economy.

Later, the Finance Minister briefed the Parliamentarians about the salient features of the new budget 2012-13

The Finance Minister said that there is 25% increase in the revenue collection amounting to Rs.400 billion as compared to the last year 2011-2012.

The Finance Minister further said that tax relief has been proposed for the tax payers and increase of 20% in pays and pensions for the government servants.

The Finance Minister said that the new budget will provide social security network under the BISP to millions of families for which Rs. 70 billion has been proposed in budget 2012-13.

The Finance Minister said that after the 18th Amendment and 7th NFC Award, the Federal Government has given over Rs. 600 billion to the provinces out of the Divisible Pool.

The Finance Minister said that the total allocation of Rs.300 billion of the Annual Development Programme (ADP 2011-12) have been fully utilized to complete 200 projects in FATA, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan especially.