Blocking passage of budget in NA: joint opposition body to approach PTI's allies

The joint opposition has decided to constitute a committee to approach the allies of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government to convince them for blocking the passage of 'anti-people' budget 2019-20 from the National Assembly.
The decision for formation of the committee has been made in a high-level meeting chaired jointly by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Opposition Leader Mian Shehbaz Sharif here at the Parliament House on Tuesday after the sessions of the National Assembly and Senate.
PPP leaders including former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and PML-N leaders Rana Tanver Ahmed, Murtaza Javed Abbais, Ahsan Iqbal, Mian Javed Latif, Shaza Fatima and Marriyam Aurangzeb participated in the meeting.
After the meeting Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the spokesman of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while talking to media persons said that Bilawal has announced to form an opposition committee to stop the budget from being passed.
He said that Bilawal has thanked MQM Pakistan for demanding the issuance of production order for Asif Ali Zardari.
He said that that Bilawal thanked all the parties in the Parliament that have supported the demand for issuing production order of Zardari. He said that all political parties will have to play their role to strengthen the Parliament. Zardari empowered the Parliament and now it is the need of the hour to protect the powers of the Parliament.
Khokhar said that the second letter which has been written to the speaker for issuing production order bears the signatures of the government's coalition partners. He said the government is trying to get the budget passed through dishonest means. He said that the government is not allowing the opposition leader to deliver his budget speech. He said the government is not issuing the production orders of Zardari, Mohsin Dawar, Ali Wazir and Saad Rafique because the government wants to deprive them of participation in the budget discussion and voting against the budget. He said that the opposition is fighting tooth and nail for the rights of the people.
He said that it is essential to stop this government from getting this anti-people budget passed because the budget prepared by "PTIMF" is suicide for the country. He said that opposition parties will soon chalk out their strategies to stop the government from passing this budget.
He said that PML-Q leader Moonis Ilahi also informed that his party is with the opposition on the issue of production orders. Earlier, PPP lawmakers and some PML-N members protested outside the office of National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser for the second consecutive day over non-issuance of production orders for Zardari. At the time of the protest, Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser was not in his chamber.
Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Mian Shehbaz Sharif while talking to media said that budget 2019-20 is an anti-poor budget and "we will continue protest against it in out of the parliament." However, he said, "We will try to run the House smoothly." He said the meeting also talked about forthcoming All Parties Conference (APC).
Speaking to journalists outside the speaker's office, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman accused the government of "paralysing parliamentary system." She said that as member of the Parliament it is Zardari's right to attend the budget session and cast his vote.
PPP leader Khursheed Shah also met Sharif in the opposition leader's chambers in the Parliament and held discussions over the opposition's strategy for the ongoing budget session.
Meanwhile, opposition leaders held a separate meeting in the opposition lobby of the Parliament House which was attended by Shehbaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl's (JUI-F) Maulana Asad Mahmood and others.
The leaders discussed the proceedings of the House and agreed that Sharif should be able to finish his speech on the proposed budget.
The meeting was also attended by PML-N leaders Rana Sanaullah, Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Tanveer, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khawaja Asif and Raja Zafarul Haq.
A separate meeting of PML-N parliamentary party also took place at the Parliament House. The meeting was chaired by Shehbaz Sharif and it criticised the government's attitude.
A statement issued after the meeting said the party president took members into confidence over meeting with JUI-F chief. The meeting also discussed the date and agenda of the APC. The parliamentary party condemned the behaviour of the government and decided a befitting reply to government's attitude.