Punjab Assembly passes supplementary budget worth over Rs617 billion

Rejecting all the motions moved by members of the opposition for cut, the Punjab Assembly (PA) on Saturday passed a supplementary budget worth over Rs617 billion, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The assembly also approved all demands for grants amid the hue and cry raised by the opposition, consisting of members of the provincial assembly (MPAs) belonging to PTI/SIC.  

Earlier, the assembly’s session, convened to pass the budget, started late with Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Channar in the chair. 

Speaking on the occasion, opposition leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar said that it was the PTI government that had launched the Kisan Card project. “It is unfortunate that the picture of former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif has been pasted on the card, which is simply not acceptable to us,” he said, adding, “Maryam Nawaz-led Punjab government has failed to deliver on all fronts in the first 15 days. The provincial government is a complete flop.”

Provincial Minister Khalil Tahir Sindhu, on the other hand, said that the PML-N had reached an agreement with the PPP on the Senate elections.

He said there were no irregularities in the budget passed today.

The minister regretted that the six Islamabad High Court judges did not utter a word when ex-judge Shaukat Siddiqui had revealed he was receiving phone calls from intelligence agencies.   

The deputy speaker later adjourned the hearing for an indefinite time period.

Reporters: Hassan Ali and Rao Dilshad Hussain