Islamabad: During the process of approving the 2024-25 budget in the National Assembly, the People’s Party withdrew the amendments to reduce the oil development fee, while all the opposition’s amendments were rejected.
At the budget meeting of the National Assembly, the process of approving the bill on finance is carried out individually. During the session there was a break for Friday prayers.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asifa Bhutto Zardari are also attending the meeting. The opposition, which called the budget prepared by the IMF and anti-people, opposed it.
The People’s Party withdrew amendments to reduce the oil development fee, while the assembly rejected the opposition’s amendments, prompting the opposition to demand a vote.
During the meeting, 170 members voted against reducing the oil development fee, while 84 members supported the reduction. Opposition amendments to reduce the oil tax were thus rejected by a majority of votes. However, the finance minister himself announced a reduction in the oil tax.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar and former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser raised the issue of fewer projects allocated to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and withholding of funds, for which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself gave an explanation.
Junaid Akbar Khan of the Sunni Ittehad Council said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says he was in jail just like the PTI founder. He remarked that when our government comes, we will show you what a prison is. He added that he would repay with interest what was done to their wives.