Islamabad: (Parliament Times) Advisor to Prime Minister Dr. Zaheer uddin Babar Awan called on Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser in Parliament House, this afternoon.
Various issues encompassing parliamentary business and smooth conduct of the budget session of the National Assembly came under discussion in the meeting. Parliamentary Business to be taken up in the forthcoming session of the National Assembly was also discussed.
The Speaker while talking to the Advisor said that treasury and the opposition both needed to be credited for smooth conduct of the proceedings of the Budget session. He said that members from both sides of the aisle were equal before him and he had always conducted the proceedings of the House strictly in accordance with the rules. The Speaker also praised the Parliamentary Leaders for their cooperation for facilitating the smooth conduct of the budget session. He said that despite fiscal constraints government had presenting a tax free and pro-poor budget for which government needed to appreciated. He was confined that the tax free budget will address economic woes of common man.
The Speaker said that COVID-19 had posed dent to the global economies and Pakistan was not an exception. He said that presentation and passage of budget by the Assembly was a constitutional obligation, thus in the presence of the pandemic, session was summoned under special arrangements. He said that despite aforesaid handicap, maximum opportunity was given to the Members to take part in the general debate and other processes involved in passage of Budget. The Speaker said that 107 members from the Treasury and 101 members from the Opposition took part in the general discussion on Budget. He further said that the general debate continued for 57 hours and 8 minutes against initially decided 40 hours. He said that 21 hours and 35 minutes and 18 hours and 24 minutes were allocated to the Treasury and the Opposition, respectively according to their numerical strength in the Assembly; however the opposition and the treasury were afforded 10 hours and 49 minutes and 6 hours and 20 minutes, respectively over and above their actual time allocation.
Speaker Asad Qaiser said that COVID-19 disrupted the life people and economic activity in the country. He said that working of the Parliament was also affected however; virtual meetings of the committees were convened during this pandemic in order to exercise parliamentary oversight on executive. He said that digitization of the Committee rooms was being assessed to make permanent arrangements for virtual meetings of the Committees so that they could more effectively play its constitutional role in case of persistence of this pandemic.
The Advisor to Prime Minister Dr. Zaheer uddin Babar Awan highly commended the magnanimous role of Speaker Asad Qaiser and said that he had always been an inspiration for members of the Parliament. He said that government was cognizant of the plight of masses due to COVID-19 thus presented a tax free and balanced budget which would not only address the economic problems of the common man but also encourage economic activity in the country.
Dr. Babar apprised the Speaker about the government’s intent to summon session of the National Assembly on 8th July, 2020 to take up various legislations pending before the House for passage. He also apprised that summoning a Joint Session of the Parliament was also under considered during the forthcoming Session to take up pending legislation besides other issues of national importance. He assured the Speaker that the present democratic government fully believes in supremacy of the Parliament and the Constitution and would follow the guidelines of the Parliament in letter and spirit.