Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has said that if the current government presents the budget for 2018-19 before elections it will be tantamount to pre-poll rigging.
“It is unfair for the current government to present the budget for the upcoming government,” he said while speaking to journalists outside the anti-terrorism court (ATC) in the federal capital on Wednesday.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government is expected to announce the budget for next fiscal year on April 27 in a special session of National Assembly. The PML-N government will complete its tenure on May 31, after which the caretaker setup will take over to ensure transparency of general elections.
“If the current government presents the budget then it will be a political budget,” he said, explaining that the budget’s sole purpose would be to gain a political advantage. “It is the responsibility of the new government to present the budget of 2018-2019,” the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader added.
When asked about the PTI members who voted against the party in Senate elections, Khattak shared that a list comprising names of PTI members “who sold their conscience” has been completed.
The PTI chief would make the announcement in a press conference in this regard,” he said.
To a question, he said, “We support the rights of the Pakhtun and have endeavoured towards it, adding that the party will not tolerate a single word against the armed forces or state’s institutions.
Published in Daily Times, April 19th 2018.
