Four Opp Senators may skip voting on SBP bill in Senate: sources

ISLAMABAD: As many as three to four Senators from opposition parties may remain absent during voting on State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) amendment bill 2021 in the Senate after the treasury approached multiple members of the Upper House of the Parliament from the other side of the aisle, ARY NEWS reported.

According to sources privy to the contacts between the two sides, the treasury has asked at least three to four members of the opposition parties to remain absent during the voting process.

“It is expected that two Senators from PML-N, one from PPP, some members from a small opposition group will remain absent during the process,” they said.

Opposition parties are also expecting absence from some of their lawmakers with one of their leaders saying that the top leadership of the parties have asked their Senators to ensure their presence during the voting.

Meanwhile, the treasury side has also persuaded its three estranged members before voting on the crucial bill.

Finance Minister Senator Shaukat Tarin on Wednesday announced that the mini-budget, Finance amendment act 2021, will sail through the Senate before the deadline set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on February 02.

While addressing media in Islamabad, Shaukat Tarin said that the IMF has set February 02 as the deadline for approval of mini-budget from the Senate and it will be met.

He admitted that the salaried class and middle class are the most affected segments of the society owing to the recent inflation, however, the government plans to introduce measures within a week to ensure that their woes are being addressed.

On January 13, the National Assembly passed the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021— generally known as a “mini-budget” — amid strong protest by opposition parties.

The National Assembly also approved the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill 2021 during a five hours-long session.