ISLAMABAD - National Assembly and Senate Standing Committees for Finance and Revenue on Thursday rejected the bill to provide funds for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday had tabled the bill, titled ‘Charged Sum for General Election (Provincial Assemblies of Punjab & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Bill 2023’, in the National Assembly and the Senate. Later, the bill was referred to the standing committees of the both houses. The standing committees of Senate and National Assembly rejected the bill in first meeting held yesterday. First, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, which met under the chairmanship of Qaiser Ahmed Shaikh, has rejected bill. Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Ayesha Ghous Pasha informed the committee that the government does not have the funds. “We are in the IMF programme and cannot increase the financial loss. We do not have the funds”. She further informed that the government had kept Rs5 billion for Election Commission in the budget for the current fiscal year. “Now the Supreme Court has asked to give 21 billion rupees. This is why this demand was brought into the money bill”, she added.
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Pasha further said that economic situation of the country is such that the budget provisions are under extreme pressure. The government is facing extreme financial issues. “The economy is under pressure due to the international situation, including the Ukraine war, and the floods. The economic growth rate has also reduced,” she maintained. ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan said, “We also know the finance division’s situation. We had demanded 21 billion rupees from the finance ministry. We have to present a report in the Supreme Court tomorrow.” The committee members have also raised concerns over the bill. Member Committee Burjis Tahir stated that we cannot give money to the Election Commission in these circumstances. “Listen Secretary Election Commission, there is no money for you, hold the election at one time, otherwise it will cause a feeling of deprivation in small provinces. Holding elections only in Punjab will cause a threat to country’s economy”.
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Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Khalid Hussain Magsi said, “The treasury is empty now. The matter of the provision of funds to the election commission will come later. Elections in the entire country should be held at once. “Punjab elections should not be held four months prior [to the designated time] — Punjab is the largest province. If Punjab elections are held before other provinces, it will impact the election of those other provinces,” he further said. Later, the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue also rejected the bill, titled ‘Charged Sum for General Election (Provincial Assemblies of Punjab & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Bill 2023’. State Minister for Finance Ayesha Ghous Pasha informed the committee that the government has limited funds due to the IMF deal as the country is facing a financial crunch. She clearly stated that the finance ministry did not have means to fund the polls while noting that the government is trying to control the fiscal deficit.
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Senator Mohsin Aziz protested and said that he had never seen a bill of such kind in the Senate, adding that the matter was out of scope of the upper house. He said that the country should be considered default if it does not have Rs21 billion, required for conducting polls. He noted that Rs18 billion were spent on the Islamabad Metro Bus project, questioning why the government was not releasing the funds for elections.