Pakistan: Walkout mars Senate session; opposition rejects budget

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The Senate’s session resumed on Tuesday after a symbolic walkout staged by the opposition parties in protest against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government’s “non-serious” attitude over Karachi airport attack and budget, DawnNews reported. The budget for 2014-15 is being discussed in the upper house of Parliament.

Delivering his speech, Senator Raza Rabbani of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) rejected the budget, calling it a budget for industrialists and feudal.

“This budget is against the aspirations of the nation … We reject it,” he said.

Earlier, Senator Rabbani had called for a walk out after he refused to discuss the budget recommendations in the absence of ministers.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) Tahir Mashhadi said that the government was restricting them to table the Karachi crises. He said that the government’s attitude towards terrorism is “non-serious”.

Senator Zahid Khan of Awami National Party (ANP) blamed the government for adopting “autocratic” behavior on the issues of national concerns.

PML-Q’s Kamil Ali Agha said that the prevailing situation in the country would deteriorate even further if the government did not come out with a clear strategy.