PA passes Sindh's Rs1.24tr deficit budget with majority amid noisy protest.

Byline: Tahir Siddiqui

KARACHI -- After six days of discussion, the Sindh Assembly on Saturday passed the Rs1.24 trillion tax-free budget, with a deficit of Rs18.38 billion, for the financial year 2020-21 with majority of votes amid opposition protest.

The budget was passed within half an hour after the house approved all demands for grants moved by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah as the opposition did not move cut motions for discussion on expenditures.

As the chief minister, who also holds the portfolio of finance, rose to move demands for supplementary grants of last year, the opposition members belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Grand Democratic Alliance stood holding placards and started shouting.

Their protest, however, didn't hinder the budget proceedings.

Opposition didn't move any cut motions on expenditures; MQM boycotts proceedings

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan members boycotted the proceedings.

PTI, GDA stage protest as MQM boycotts

Opposition Leader Firdaus Shamim Naqvi said the provincial government had failed to provide a 'genuine' reason for supplementary expenditures in fiscal year 2019-20, asking the government to inform the assembly members why the provincial administration needed supplementary expenditures.

While the PTI and GDA members gathered in front of the speaker's dais chanting 'shame shame and jhoot jhoot (lie lie)' slogans, the chief minister got approval of 43 demands for supplementary expenditures during the last year and 157 demands, authorising the provincial government for expenditures of over Rs1.24tr with a majority of votes.

The chief minister said that for the first time in his parliamentary career, the budget was passed in half an hour, jibing that it reflected the trust of the opposition who didn't move cut motions.

'I am thankful to the opposition for reposing their confidence in the budget 2020-21 because they did not submit cut motions,' he said.

Taking exception to the opposition protest, he said that instead of participating in the budgetary process they preferred to remember their days of dharna on the container resorting to 'hooliganism' and disturbing the house.

'PTI misguided SC on vehicles' purchase'

The CM said that the PTI governments at the centre, Punjab and KP had filed 'wrong' figures in the Supreme Court, therefore, he would submit a detailed expenditures list of his government and the governments of other provinces and the federal government incurred on purchase of...

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