Bilawal terms budget pre-poll rigging, usurping right of next govt

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said by presenting a full year budget, the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) government is not only engaging in blatant pre-poll rigging but also usurping the right of next elected government who will now only get to pass four budgets.

In his reaction to the budget passed earlier today, the PPP chairman said that federal government ignored the protests of three chief ministers and went ahead to present a budget, which it has no right by any moral or democratic values.

He questioned the legal and constitutional worth of a budget, which has no endorsement of three out of four federating units as the majority of the provinces have vehemently opposed PML-N government intrusion into the mandate of next elected government.

Bilawal said that PPP government in Sindh has decided not to intrude into the authority of next mandate and was preparing for a four-month budget to enable the next elected government to exercise its right to set its own budgetary priorities.

He said that this step by PML-N government was an insult to the right of franchise, and was in fact evidence of financial scandals and blatant corruption.

He said that imposing an unelected member to present the federal budget in the parliament has exposed its dictatorial grooming, undemocratic behavior and sheer hypocrisy.

Terming the PML-N as the ‘Panama League,’ Bilawal further said that the government intends to squeeze the last drop of blood form the people by diverting huge budgetary allocations to the projects it has been accused of taking commissions and kickbacks from.