News
Friday, June 14, 2013
PPPP, PTI move closer on joint strategy on NA budget session* Both parties discuss nitty-gritty of budget, decide to develop understanding
By Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: The opposition parties Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday moved closer to formulate a joint strategy for the budget session in the National Assembly.
The parliamentarians of the PPPP and PTI, which are the second and third highest seat-takers in the House, both sit no the opposition benches in the National Assembly and have been kept at distance so far. On the invitation of opposition leader Syed Khursheed Shah of the PPPP, PTI members of the House met with the PPPP parliamentary leaders in Shah’s chamber to discuss the strategy for the budget session.
The PML-N government present its first budget on Wednesday and the debate on it will get underway from tomorrow (Saturday) when the House reassembles. Both the parties discussed in detail the nitty-gritty of the budget and decided to develop understanding between their members to corroborate each other in the budget debate rather than having a conflicting approach.
PTI’s MNA Dr Arif Alvi confirmed to Daily Times that such a meeting took place and all the matters related to budget session came under discussion in the meeting. He, however, clarified that both the PPPP and PTI have independent identity in the House and have their own perspectives on the budget. He said that all the procedural matters associated with the budget debate were the crux of the meeting, especially the cut-motions which are part of the budget debate. “Understanding will be developed on cut-motions to move it in such a way that it does not come into conflict with each other’s members of the House,” he added.
When asked whether this meeting could be termed as a step towards a joint opposition, Alvi replied that it would be premature to say anything about it. On the other hand, the opposition party in National Assembly Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is preparing its own strategy for the budget session, one of its MNA told Daily Times when he was contacted to solicit his views about the meeting between the PPPP and PTI.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk