LHC pleaded to declare PML-N’s sixth budget illegal
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2025-03-14 05:11:34
A petition seeking to declare unlawful the presentation of the federal budget for fiscal year 2018-19 by the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz-Nawaz (PML-N) government in closing weeks of its five-year term was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday.
The petitioner has pleaded the court to strike down the budget for what he said being unlawful and unconstitutional. He argued that the PML-N government was not entitled to unveil a budget for a full year at the fag end of its tenure, and added that it went beyond its constitutional authority and mandate by presenting the budget for 2018-19.
Besides, the petitioner contended that a person who was not a member of the National Assembly presented the budget unconstitutionally. He claimed the federal budget was based on mala fide intentions and requested that it should be declared illegal.
On April 27, the newly appointed Finance Minister Miftah Ismail had presented the budget for financial year 2018-19 amid strong protest by the opposition parties.
The opposition parties, mainly PPP and PTI, strongly opposed the presentation of budget by the PML-N government, saying it didn’t have the right to unveil the budget for a full year. The government, however, insisted that it was entitled to present a full-year budget.
Published in Daily Times, May 6th 2018.
