By NNN-PTI,
Islamabad : President Pervez Musharraf today summoned the budget session of Pakistan’s parliament on June two during which the PPP-led coalition government is expected to table a package of constitutional reforms aimed at clipping his wings.
Following the nod from Musharraf, the National Assembly secretariat issued a formal notification for the holding of the budget session from June two. Before the presentation of the budget on June seven, the National Assembly will debate key political, constitutional and security issues.
However, it was not immediately clear whether the government planned to table a package of constitutional reforms aimed at clipping Musharraf’s sweeping powers before the budget.
Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari yesterday unveiled the package which will take away the President’s powers to dissolve the parliament and appoint the three service chiefs.
Finance Minister Naveed Qamar told reporters in Karachi that the first budget to be presented by the new PPP-led government will be “pro-poor” and contain various measures aimed at addressing the fiscal deficit.
The budget will not have any “big surprises” and there will be no new taxes for the salaried class, he said, adding there will also be no surprises for the stock market as the budget would be framed after consulting all stakeholders in the capital market.