Opposition terms Sindh budget poor-friendly

KARACHI - PML-Q legislator, Ahmed Ali Malkani, on Wednesday told the Sindh Assembly that opposition honoured the mandate of the government and wished that it completed its tenure and assured his party’s support to the ruling set-up on all issues of provincial interest.
Taking part in the general discussion on provincial budget 2009-10, he said that whenever opposition members spoke on the floor of the House they played their positive role in pointing out the shortcomings of the government and to guide it to take proper actions in the larger interest of the people in the Sindh province.
He said that unopposed presidential election was a historic political milestone for which opposition did not ask for any favour nor it adopted blackmailing tactics.
“We will strongly oppose the government if it take any anti-people decision”, he said, adding the opposition would not call presentation of the provincial budget without NFC award as it believed the next budget would be presented after the announcement of the NFC award as promised by the president.
Malkani further said both PPP and MQM were the biggest political parties and people would question them if they failed to deliver. He added that people of Sindh were aware of the fact that PPP had remained in the forefront against Greater Thal Canal but it was the PPP government which has allocated Rs1 billion for this project in current the national budget, which manifested contradiction in its words and deeds. He said opposition was with the government on the issue of immigrants.
The opposition legislator from Thatta continued that it has become customary that every successive government claimed that it had presented a pro-poor budget but the situation was just the opposite.
Malkani, however, said that it was not the fault of PPP government for presenting such a budget. In fact, it was presented amid worst global financial meltdown. He appreciated the tractor scheme announced in the budget but said that it should be implemented in transparent manner.
The PML-Q legislator also applauded the Home Minister for posting of DPOs on merit and admitted there was no political victimisation. He apologised to PPP member Ghulam Qadir Chandio who had suffered political victimisation at the hands of the previous government and condemned it.