A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue was held today under the chairmanship of Qaiser Ahmed Shiekh.
After brief deliberations, the committee sent the matter of election funds for Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa back to Parliament with the Supreme Court’s deadline to release Rs. 21 billion for the polls ending today.
Talking to reporters after the committee meeting, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the committee decided to present the matter before the parliament for final approval.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Aisha Ghaus Pasha said the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Finance Division had no right to release funds from the Federal Consolidated Fund (FCF) without parliamentary approval.
She clarified her stance that while the SBP could allocate the funds, they cannot be released until Parliament consented to the disbursal. “Without the approval of Parliament, no bill or budget has any legal grounds. Consequently, we now refer the entire matter to the Parliament. The Parliament is supreme for us because that is what’s written in the constitution,” she said.
One committee member said elections in Punjab are equivalent to harming the country and the release of funds is at the discretion of the federal government.
It bears mentioning that the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday ordered SBP to release Rs. 21 billion for the provincial elections next month.
The apex court had earlier asked the concerned ministries and institutions to release Rs. 21 billion to the Election Commission of Pakistan by April 10. Upon failure of the government to comply with the order, the Supreme Court directed the central bank on April 14 to arrange the money from the FCF.
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