By Rafiullah Mandokhail
Sherani, (Parliament Times): As the general election is just around the corner, the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives has released its fourth annual report on the ‘State of Budget Transparency in Pakistan, International Best Practices’. The report pointed out shortcomings in the budgeting process at the federal and provincial levels and called for budget proposals to be widely discussed with civic groups, government agencies, and key stakeholders. This report does not only aim to present findings but to facilitate dialogue – between governments, civil society, and the citizens at large. The report says Pakistan should consider launching a centralized digital platform dedicated to fostering citizen participation. This platform should be designed to present intricate budgetary details in a manner easily digestible to the citizen. Governments must prioritize the initiation of nationwide public consultations, including town hall meetings and workshops, during the crucial budget formulation phase. The report also demanded to develop and issue separate budget statements for Women, Minorities, Children, and PWDs, outlining specific allocations and strategies tailored to each group’s unique needs and challenges. The report urges to avoid the inconsistency observed in Pakistan, the practice of presenting a citizens’ budget should be formalized through specific legislation or regulations. According to the CPDI report, Governments should make budget data available in widely accepted machine-readable formats like Excel and CSV.
In addition, the participation of citizens in the budgeting process should be given legal protection and government agencies should be required to consult with the citizens during the various stages of the budget-making process. In particular, the role of MPs should be enhanced during budget formulation and its implementation.
While talking with elected representatives, LG representatives, CSOs, and media persons, during ‘stakeholders dialogue on transparent budgeting” organized by a member organization of CNBA (Citizens Network for Budget Accountability AWARE Action for Welfare and Awakening in Rural Environment – director M. Abid Sherani said that for the past decade, CPDI has been working to improve the budgeting process in Pakistan from the district to the federal level to promote transparency in it. As a result, a fourth report based on ‘State of Budget Transparency in Pakistan 2023’ has been released. This report not only examines budget transparency in Pakistan but also helps to gauge the effectiveness of access to information laws in Pakistan in obtaining budget information. This report recommends that Instead of fast-tracking the budget, it should be referred to the finance committees in both federal and provincial assemblies well in advance of the fiscal year. CPDI report also demands making all Planning Commission Forms (PC-I to PC-V) available to the public across all federal and provincial levels, not just PC-I documents.
‘According to the report, participation of citizens in budgeting, legislature oversight, duration of budget debate in parliaments, and equitable budgeting are required to be addressed,’ he added.
