PPP finalises strategy to block mini-budget

LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has decided to hold a token hunger strike outside Parliament House against the finance supplementary bill, 2021 or generally known as mini-budget, ARY News reported on Sunday.

According to sources, the decision to observe a token hunger strike was taken in a party meeting chaired by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The party will hold token hunger strike inside and outside the Parliament, said sources and added that the PPP chief will also attend hunger strike.

All party MNAs and Senators have been directed by the party leadership to reach Islamabad tomorrow (Monday) to participate in a hunger strike against the mini-budget, sources informed ARY News.

NA session

Federal government has decided to summon the National Assembly session on January 10 to get the Finance Amendment Bill 2021, also known as mini-budget, sail through the Lower House of the Parliament.

Detailing the passage of the bill, Adviser to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan said that the National Assembly session has been summoned on January 10 at 4:00 pm.

“The Finance amendment bill will be tabled during the session besides also a discussion on suggestions on the bill proposed by Senate,” he said and invited the opposition to take part in the legislation process.

He said that indulging in sloganeering would not help the opposition in improving the legislative process nor this could help them in creating hurdles for the government to pass the bill.

“Our doors are open for talks with the opposition on the legislation process,” he said.

On December 30, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led federal government tabled Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021 — or the mini-budget in the National Assembly for approval.