News
Monday, June 06, 2011
Opp divided over strategy on budget debate
ISLAMABAD: The opposition parties in parliament appear divided over adoption of a common strategy during the debate on the federal budget, dimming chances of a grand opposition over the issue in parliament.
Although, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the largest opposition party in National Assembly, is trying hard to woo the smaller parties, particularly JUI-F, to form a common front, its efforts are failing to yield the required results.
The opposition also remained divided during the budget presentation when other opposition groups kept distance from the PML-N when it lodged a strong protest during the budget speech of Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh. JUI-F, the largest opposition party in Senate, appears to be annoyed with the PML-N over its efforts to install its parliamentary leader in Upper House of parliament as opposition leader which, according to JUI-F, is its parliamentary right being the biggest party in terms of numerical strength in the House.
“We are ready to cooperate with PML-N for adopting a unified strategy, however, the way it (PML-N) has attempted to install its opposition leader in Upper House is something against the parliamentary norms,” JUI-F central leader Maulana Ghafoor Haideri told Daily Times on Sunday. Haideri called it an effort by the PML-N to divide the opposition, otherwise JUI-F has no objection to taking a unified stand in parliament. He said that JUI-F also favours registering a protest against the budget, but the way PML-N staged the protest is not acceptable to his party. “We listened to the budget speech and would express our reservations on it during the budget debate,” Haideri said. PML-N’s Central Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal confirmed that the JUI-F was shying away from joining hands with his party over the budget debate. He told Daily Times that Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, opposition leader in the National Assembly, was contacting opposition parties to evolve a common stand on the budget in the session. However, Haideri expressed ignorance about such efforts and said he has no information about it. However, both the parties said that they would take part in the budget debate. tanveer ahmed
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk