Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday tabled a bill in the National Assembly (NA) seeking the release of funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding elections in Punjab as ordered by the Supreme Court.
Last week, the apex court had fixed May 14 as the date for the polls in the province and directed the federal government to release election funds worth Rs21 billion to the Election Commission of Pakistan by April 10 for elections to the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
As the SC deadline for the release of funds approaches, the government in a federal cabinet meeting on Sunday decided to refer the matter of election funds in the Parliament.
The Money Bill (Charged Sum for General Elections to provincial assemblies of Punjab and KP) 2023, presented in the parliament today, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, stated that the required funds for the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa shall be “an expenditure charged upon the Federal Consolidated Fund”, which it said comprises all revenues received by the federal government, all loans raised by that 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It added that the proposed law would stand repealed once the elections to both the assemblies were held, noting that the general elections and polls to the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies need not be held for it to be repealed.
Addressing the lower house of the parliament today, Dar lambasted the PTI government for using “unsuitable policies” that steered the country almost to the brink of default.
He recalled that when the incumbent government had assumed power in April last year, the country’s economy was in shambles. “Because of their [the PTI’s] failure, the country that was ranked as the 24th larget economy in 2017 came down to the 47th position.”
He castigated the PTI for trying to stir a constitutional crisis in the country and “constantly trying to spread unrest and despair among the nation”. He further slammed the previous government for “not only not implementing the International Monetary Fund agreement but also working against” its terms and conditions, worsening the country’s economic situation.
However, Dar assured that the NA: “We have employed all-out efforts to complete the IMF programme and the staff-level agreement would be signed soon.”
Referring to prices hikes and other policy decisions introduced by the government, Dar said, “If these decisions were not introduced, the country would already have defaulted. These decisions made the government suffer political loss as well […] and now, we have set out towards development.”
At one point during the session, Dar said that the PTI dissolved the Punjab and KP assemblies under a “planned conspiracy” to create a constitutional crisis in the country. He also recalled that the PTI lawmakers resigned from the NA, which was a akin to disrespecting the public mandate.
He maintained that holding elections in the country was a constitutional responsibility but contended that it was important to hold polls across the country simultaneously under caretaker governments.
“This will help save money and hold elections freely, fairly and in a transparent manner,” the minister stressed. “Mr Speaker, under the Constitution of Pakistan, the sovereignty of the Parliament is a reality.”
He further stated that the ECP was responsible for holding free and fair elections but contended that holding polls right now was not in the national interest of the country, given the the current economic and security situation.
“The census is near completion on which the nation has spent Rs35 billion.”
Referring to the recent “multiple orders” of the SC, Dar asserted that the top court’s verdict was in “minority” and the parliament had hence urged the government not to implement it.
The federal cabinet, in its recent meetings, has decided that the SC’s order for the release of election funds will be presented in the parliament for discussion, he concluded.
Subsequently, Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that the bill had been referred to the revelant committee. The NA session was later adjourned till 2pm on April 13 (Thursday).
