Punjab budget: Govt, opposition end deadlock after successful talks

LAHORE: The Punjab government and the opposition have reached an agreement to end the deadlock over the budget session after holding successful talks, ARY News reported on Monday.

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khalil Tahir Sindhu said that the talks with the opposition turned out successful and matters were settled amicably. He said that Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz is reaching Punjab Assembly and the budget session will be started soon.

The government and opposition lawmakers have also started reaching the Punjab Assembly building after the successful dialogues.

Sources told ARY News that the Punjab government and the opposition reached an agreement and constituted a committee for its implementation. A two-member committee was formed which included Raja Basharat and Malik Ahmed Khan that will ensure the acceptance of all demands during its session.

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It was learnt that the chief secretary and the Punjab inspector general will give clarifications before the House.

Deadlock over conditions

Earlier, the government and opposition headed towards a deadlock over ‘conditions’ prior to the unveiling of the Punjab budget for the fiscal year 2022-23.

The unveiling of the Punjab budget 2022-23 has been delayed due to a lack of agreement between the government and the opposition. Prior to the Punjab budget session, a meeting of the business advisory committee was held in the Punjab Assembly.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) demanded the government withdraw cases against its leaders and activists, whereas, the Inspector General (IG) Punjab police should tender an apology before the advisory committee. The opposition party also demanded the withdrawal of cases against the Punjab Assembly staffers.

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The Chief Minister’s Office has rejected the conditions tabled by the opposition, sources told ARY News. They added that the government team put new conditions after holding conditions with the Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz.

The Punjab government adopted a stance that a thorough investigation will be held on cases against the provincial lawmakers to ascertain the facts about the scuffle in the Punjab Assembly during the election of the chief minister. The government team said that no agreement will be signed without the probe against the lawmakers.

Sources said that there is a deadlock between the government and the opposition after the rejection of the conditions from both sides which led to a delay in the provincial budget. The budget would not be presented in the Punjab Assembly till an agreement between the government and opposition.