ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has claimed that the budget for the fiscal year 2021-22 had been passed “illegally” and it had “no legal standing”.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad today (Tuesday), the PPP Chairman said National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser had usurped the rights of the lawmakers by not holding recounting of voice vote.
“I strongly condemn this act of speaker and if Asad Qaiser does not rectify his mistake then this budget would be considered illegal,” he said, vowing to challenge the budget at all available fora.
Bilawal Bhutto further said that the government had passed the budget on the demands of International Monetary Fund (IMF) and did not allow the opposition lawmakers to present cut motions and raise their objections.
In response to a question regarding absence of Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif, Bilawal said he was only answerable for his party’s MNAs. However, he said that the absence of PML-N president was not a “good precedent” .
PPP leader and daughter of former president Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto said in a tweet that his father attended the court hearing and NA session “despite underlining health conditions”. However, she added that only 14 out of 84 PML-N members came to oppose the “PTI-IMF budget”.
