ISLAMABAD: Amidst strong protest by the opposition, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, Friday, laid a copy of the Finance Bill 2022 in the upper house of the Parliament, seeking the recommendations of the senators on the proposed legislative draft.
The house, during its sitting, witnessed turbulence as soon as Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani gave the floor to the finance minister for laying a copy of the bill in the house.
The opposition senators led by the Leader of the Opposition in Senate, Dr Shahzad Waseem, chanted anti-government slogans for presenting an “anti-poor” budget.
The Senate sitting continued for hardly over 15 minutes and the session was adjourned till coming Monday immediately after the finance minister laid a copy of the finance bill in the house.
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Constitutionally, the upper house of the Parliament can hold extensive debate on the finance bill and devise recommendations accordingly but it has practically no role in budgetary legislation since it is completely up to the National Assembly to either completely or partially accept those recommendations or hand them an outright rejection.
Article 73, which deals with parliamentary business with respect to money bills reads, “Notwithstanding anything contained in Article 70, a money bill shall originate in the National Assembly: Provided that simultaneously when a money bill, including the finance bill containing the annual budget statement, is presented in the National Assembly, a copy thereof shall be transmitted to the Senate which may, within fourteen days, make recommendations thereon to the National Assembly.”
This article further provides that the NA shall consider the recommendations of the Senate, and, after the bill has been passed by the assembly, with or without incorporating the recommendations of the Senate, it shall be presented to the president for assent.
Earlier, the senators from both sides of the aisle, under Sanjrani’s leadership, marched towards Indian High Commission in the federal capital and protested in front of the commission against the blasphemous remarks made against Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, Nupur Sharma and Naveed Kumar Jindal.
“Every Muslim is ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Such sacrilegious remarks are not acceptable and should be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” Sanjrani said in his speech in front of India’s diplomatic mission.
The blasphemous statements of the Indian leaders have been strongly condemned by both the houses of the Parliament and the people of Pakistan are expressing their deep grief and anger, he added.
“Millions of Muslims in the Islamic world are ready to sacrifice their lives and property for the sake of the Holy Prophet (PBUH),” Opposition Leader Dr Shahzad Waseem said.
Hindu senators Keshoo Bai and Danesh Kumar were of the view that no religion allowed disrespect to any other religion.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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