Finance Minister Ishaq Dar introduced the money bill 2023 titled “Charged Sums for General Elections of Provincial Assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bill 2023 in the National Assembly today.
Speaking on the occasion, he stated that the government is presenting this bill to the House in light of the Supreme Court’s directives to pay 21 billion rupees to the Election Commission of Pakistan in order for general elections to be held in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Finance Minister stated that this August House has also issued a resolution stating that the Supreme Court’s order into the suo-motu notice on holding elections in Punjab is a 4-3 decision, and the 3-0 decision is a minority decision that should not be executed.
He stated that the Federal Cabinet recently considered the Supreme Court’s orders and, in light of this House’s resolution, has sought the Parliament’s willingness to make a final decision on the allocation of funds for general elections for the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The measure was referred to the relevant standing committee by the chair.
According to the Finance Minister, the coalition administration firmly believes in the sovereignty of Parliament, the rule of law, and the Constitution.
He stated that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, on the other hand, aimed to create a constitutional and legal crisis in the country through a well-planned plot.
He claimed that members of the PTI resigned from the National Assembly and disregarded the public mandate. Furthermore, it organised the dissolution of the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before the end of their constitutional terms.
He claimed that all of these tactics were designed solely to generate political instability and anarchy in Pakistan.
Ishaq Dar stated that organising elections is a constitutional responsibility, but that polling for the national and all provincial assemblies must take place concurrently under caretaker arrangements.
He claims that this will not only cut costs but also assure free, fair, and transparent elections.
Ishaq Dar recalled how the PTI governance had dragged the country to the brink of default by breaching its pledges to the International Monetary Fund. He claimed that this also undermined Pakistan’s credibility.
He claimed that shortly after taking office, the coalition administration made difficult decisions that rescued the country from default.
The Minister stated that the government is now working hard to restore economic stability to the country. He stated that he hoped to increase foreign exchange reserves to 13 billion dollars in the coming quarter.
Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, moved and the National Assembly enacted “The National University of Pakistan Bill, 2023.”
The bill allows for the establishment of a university committed to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge in the fields of natural and applied sciences, engineering and emerging technologies, management sciences, computing, social sciences, humanities and arts, and other fields of knowledge.
The House will now meet at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
