ISLAMABAD: The government has postponed the National Assembly (NA) session, which was scheduled to meet on Monday to present the mini-budget, due to a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) foreign ministers.
According to a statement, the parliament will remain closed from December 13 to December 20 in connection with a meeting being held on December 18 and December 19.
The meeting is being held in Pakistan after 41 years and in this regard, all activities at the parliament have been suspended. The session of parliament that was supposed to take up the mini-budget has been postponed as well.
Reportedly, the government was all set to present its mini-budget, involving fiscal adjustments and expenditure cuts worth about Rs600 billion as part of an understanding with the IMF, in the lower house of parliament on Monday.
In addition, employees of the NA Secretariat have been sent on leave for an entire week except for the ones who have been assigned duties for the session.
The purpose of the OIC meeting has been set as finding a solution to Afghanistan’s problems, and to provide relief during the war-torn country’s current economic crisis. All Islamic countries have been invited to attend the extraordinary session. Permanent members of the Security Council, European Union, United Nations and its aid agencies have also been invited to attend the OIC foreign ministers’ meeting.
Besides OIC foreign ministers, important countries, especially Germany, Japan, Canada and Australia, as well as the World Bank and other international financial institutions are also invited, according to some media reports. A high-level delegation from Afghanistan will also visit Pakistan to attend the OIC foreign ministers’ meeting.
The meeting is being held in Pakistan after 41 years and in this regard, all activities at the parliament have been suspended. The session of parliament that was supposed to take up the mini-budget has been postponed as well.