The budget FY 2016-17 may get delayed as till the powers from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to any designated federal minister for chairing the next National Economic Council (NEC) meeting for approving development outlay and macroeconomic indicators.
The other option may be delayed for few days because of Nawaz Sharif’s prolonged stay at UK on health grounds.
The second option is that the PM grants power to any federal minister for chairing the next NEC and federal cabinet meetings for approving the budget.
A former cabinet secretary told the local newspaper “The News’ that the NEC is regulated under Article 156 of the Constitution but these clauses are silent in case of absence of prime minister. However, the Rules of Business applied for the cabinet also become effective for the NEC. According to section 20 and 23 of the Rules of Business of 1973, the PM can designate any minister for chairing the cabinet meeting.
Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar confirmed that the next budget announcement will be on June 3 into the Parliament House. The NEC was proposed to be held on May 30 for granting approval to upcoming development outlays as well as macroeconomic targets for next financial year 2016-17.
