ISLAMABAD The Government on Friday in the Senate had to face criticism interestingly not from the opposition benches but from one of its own Federal Ministers, Azam Khan Swati, as he reacted to what he termed the anti-poor policies of the present regime. Earlier, the Governments coalition partners walked out of the House against the Governments anti-poor policies. It was perhaps a bad day for the Government in the Upper House of the Parliament, when its coalition partners including JUI-F, ANP as well as FATA members along with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) sitting on the opposition benches staged a protest walk out from the House over the increase in Haj fares. The controversy started at the time when the chair, Jehangir Badar, showed some reluctance in accepting recommendations of the Standing Committee on Religious Affairs over the new Haj policy of the Government. The Standing Committee had recommended to maintain the Haj fares as they were in the previous year, rejecting the increase in Haj fares as announced in the new policy. Saleem Saifullah of PML-Q took the floor to speak on the issue when Dr Khalid Somroo pointed out at the quorum and the chair had to adjourn the proceedings of the House for 5 minutes. The members came back in the House after the recommendations of the Committee were accepted unanimously and Federal Minister for Religious Affairs assured the House that those would be tabled in the next meeting of the Cabinet for the approval. Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Azam Khan Swati in his speech on the budget debate criticised the Government for not devising the pro-poor policies, saying that the leaders were busy in spending billions of rupees on lavish life and self-projection at the expense of the taxpayers money. He slammed the Government for the allocation of meager amount of money in the budget for Science & Techonology, Research & Development and Higher Education. He was of the view that progress in the country could only be made by giving due consideration to those sectors. Leaders does not have vision, will, wisdom to drive the economically, politically and socially broken ship of the country, he added. He said that the difference between the developed and undeveloped countries lied in the advancement of technology that he saw missing in the country. Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) of the Government also came under criticism from the Minister who said that the program would not bring economic development in the country. He remarked that all those sectors that needed development were suffering because of the ill-conceived policies of the Government. Senator Abdul Rahim Madonkhel later criticised the speech of the Minister, saying either the Minister should sit on the opposition benches or restrain himself from criticism. Later, the House was adjourned to meet again on Monday at 4pm. Earlier Professor Ibrahim of JI while starting the budget debate slammed the interest based system of the country and foreign loans, blaming those as the root cause of all evils.