ISLAMABAD: The Finance Committees of National Assembly and Senate are reported to have unanimously rejected a bill which sought funds for holding elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Also read: Bill seeking expenses for elections tabled in NA
The bill, titled ‘Charged Sum for General Election (Provincial Assemblies of Punjab & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Bill 2023’, stated that funds required for conducting elections in both the provinces shall be “an expenditure charged upon the Federal Consolidated Fund (FCF)”, which it said comprises all revenues received by the federal government, all loans raised by the government and all money received by it in repayment of any loan.
The bill stated that it shall “override other laws” and have effect “notwithstanding anything contained in any other law, rules and regulations” when it was in force.
It added that the proposed law would stand repealed once elections for both the assemblies were held, noting that the general elections and polls to the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies need not be held for it to be repealed.
The bill was first presented in the National Assembly by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar after which it was referred to the relevant committee.
The NA Finance Committee met on Thursday, chaired by Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh. The Committee expressed concern over the absence of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. During the debate, committee member Birjees Tahir criticized the 8-judge bench of the Supreme Court, which was hearing a recently introduced bill. Tahir alleged that the judges appeared worried about the upcoming elections in the two provinces.
State Minister for Finance Ayesha Ghaus Pasha stated that due to the international situation, including the war in Ukraine, the country’s economic conditions and budget situation were under severe constraints. Furthermore, due to the floods, the economy had declined, and the growth rate had decreased. Pasha said that the nature of the subsidy on petrol had not yet been decided, adding that “we ourselves are not clear yet whether the scheme is viable or not.”
Later on, the bill was moved to the Senate Committee, which also rejected it. Senator Mohsin Aziz, while opposing the bill, stated that it did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Senate. Another Senator, Anwarul Haq Kakar, said that even the Supreme Court was unable to hold elections in 90 days after the dissolution of assemblies. He further added that the biased favoritism for Punjab would have adverse effects on smaller provinces.
