President formally approves finance bill 2020-21

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has formally approved the Finance Bill 2020-21 under Article 75 of the Constitution on Tuesday.

As per details, on June 12, Industries and Production Minister Hammad Azhar had presented an Rs7.14-trillion budget.

President Alvi gave his approval to the Finance Bill 2020-21 after it was passed by the National Assembly on Monday despite the opposition’s vow to not let it sail through the House.

The government benches were successful in getting the Finance Bill 2020 approved to give effect to the financial proposals. The House, however, turned down the amendments proposed by the Opposition in the bill.

On 28 June, the opposition parties had decided to build a united front against the budget and made scorching speeches on the national issues in the session. Apart from protesting the budget, its lawmakers have also decided to demand PM Imran’s resignation.

Senior opposition leaders from the PPP, PML-N, and the JUI-F had earlier described it as an “enemy of the people”. Reacting to the budget, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif said it would cause inflation and unemployment to rise.

Previous government ally BNP-M leader Akhtar Mengal had also announced his party’s move to break alliance with the ruling coalition, which caused a momentary hurdle for the government by depleting its numbers in the House.

Later, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said all government allies should “voluntarily announce their separation from the coalition if they wish to avoid committing treason” against the country.

Addressing a press conference, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Pakistan was in worse condition as the ruling party failed to deliver. He criticized the PTI-led government and said that the incompetent rulers have ruined the lives of masses.

Bilawal Bhutto said that the incumbent government has nothing done for the country; instead of giving employment, they have increased the burden of inflation on the masses. He said “Akhtar Mengal has played a positive role. Now there is no valid reason for him to stay with this government.