NA Again Says No To Funds For Punjab Polls Ordered From SC



ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan is seeking Rs 21 billion from Parliament in order to hold general elections in Punjab.

The additional demand to provide Rs 21 billion to the federal government to meet expenditures other than those charged during the current fiscal year in relation to the ECP to hold general elections in Punjab was rejected by the National Assembly on Monday by a majority vote.

The demand was supported by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), but members of the government opposed it. As a result, the motion was defeated by a majority vote in the House. Prior to this, the report of the Standing Committee on the issue of providing funds for elections in Punjab was first approved by the National Assembly. In the report, the standing committee recommended that the funds not be released without the approval of the National Assembly.

In response to media reports that the Supreme Court directed the State Bank of Pakistan to release funds to the ECP for the purpose of holding a poll in Punjab without the prior approval of the National Assembly, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar moved the Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue to discuss and propose recommendations.

After the standing committee report was approved by the National Assembly, the law minister moved to grant Rs 21 billion to the federal government to cover the costs of holding elections in Punjab. The House dismissed the beneficial interest with a larger part vote.

Mufti Abdul Shakoor, the late Minister for Religious Affairs, was also honored by the National Assembly. The law minister stated in front of the National Assembly that the matter had been referred to the National Assembly by the federal cabinet. According to Articles 82(2) and 84 of the Constitution, the National Assembly had the authority to approve or deny additional expenses.

He stated that since no other institution had any authority in that regard, the amounts in the Federal Consolidated Fund—with the exception of charged expenditure—could only be distributed with approval from the House. He said the High Court, in its structure, coordinated to get ex-post facto endorsement of it yet the Standing Board on Money had guided the Money Division to take up the issue in the government bureau and purposeful it as an interest or bill.

He stated that the National Assembly, "which accords approval of expenses from the Federal Consolidated Fund," was the appropriate forum, explaining that the cabinet had referred the issue to the House. He stated that the resolution to hold nationwide elections on the same day was approved by this House.

He added that the cabinet and the standing committee had referred the matter to the House and that the Supreme Court had ordered the State Bank to release the funds from the Federal Consolidated Fund.

In the meantime, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif demanded an investigation into $3 billion in soft loans, claiming that Pakistan received the money from the previous government to its favorites during the coronavirus pandemic. He stated, "The details of the $3 billion should be provided to the Standing Committee on Finance, as the machinery obtained from this external loan has not even been redeemed."

According to the defense minister, the PTI government has given out $3 billion in loans, and the names of all those who received soft loans should be made public. He stated, "The House has the right to request specifics."

Raja Pervez Ashraf, the Speaker of the National Assembly, referred the matter to the Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue and ordered the committee to submit a report to the National Assembly. The Finance Ministry's summary regarding the allocation of funds to the ECP for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was previously referred to the National Assembly by the federal cabinet.

In the mean time, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) informed the Public Standing Council on Money that the national bank apportioned assets of Rs 21 billion for holding decisions in Punjab under the orders of the High Court however didn't have the power to deliver these assets.

SBP acting Lead representative Seema Kamil advised the parliamentary board that to consent to the request for the zenith court, the SBP dispensed assets of Rs 21 billion for holding races in Punjab, however it was not the power of the national bank to deliver these apportioned assets.

On Monday, the ruling party MNA Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh presided over the special meeting of the NA panel at Parliament House. During the meeting, it was decided that the Ministry of Finance should prepare and send a summary to the federal cabinet, which would then be presented to the National Assembly. The unique gathering of the Public Get together Standing Board of trustees on Money was gone to by Government Priest for Regulation Nazeer Tarar, Pastor for Trade Syed Naveed Qamar, Principal legal officer for Pakistan Mansor Usman, and Evaluator General of Pakistan Ajmal Gondal on extraordinary greeting. The meeting was also attended by Acting Governor SBP Seema Kamil, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Finance Tariq Bajwa, and Minister of State for Finance Aisha Ghaus Pasha.

The SBP acting governor informed the panel that they had received notice from the Supreme Court regarding the federal government's money in the government's account and whether or not these funds could be provided to the ECP for the purpose of holding elections in Punjab. The SBP, she said, told the peak court that they could assign reserves yet couldn't deliver these assets. The government's account would continue to hold these funds after they were distributed. With the AGPR's approval, these funds could be released after being approved by the Finance Ministry.

Serve for Regulation Nazeer Tarar informed the NA board that he needed to peruse out the request given by the SC on the issue of holding decisions in Punjab and KP, however panel part Barjees Tahir halted him and expressed that holding races in Punjab would be unfortunate since whoever would win in Punjab, that party would win in the leftover three territories also. If anybody had any desire to carry damage to the nation, then hold decisions first in Punjab.

The head legal officer told the NA board that there could be a method for holding decisions by virtue of different uses, yet the High Court requested to get endorsement from Parliament. Presently the inquiry emerges: Who would be accountable for the release of the funds if Parliament did not approve until the end of June 2023?