ISLAMABAD:
Opposition politicians have strongly criticized the federal budget, arguing that it fails to provide relief to ordinary citizens and reflects the government’s inability to deal with Pakistan’s worsening economic challenges.
Both the leaders of an opposition party alliance – TTAP – and JI on Sunday slammed the budget announced by the PML-N-led federal government on Friday.
Speaking at a seminar at the National Press Club, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said Pakistan’s expenditure had long exceeded its revenue and no serious effort had ever been made to reverse the trend.
He compared the country’s economic situation to a household that spends more than it earns, warning that such a household will eventually be trapped under mounting debt and forced to sell its assets. He said poverty was growing rapidly, prices of essential commodities had become prohibitive and government claims about poverty levels did not reflect the realities on the ground.
“The poor cannot afford medical treatment while the government is unable to provide basic services,” he said. He added that in many parts of the country, schools had been unchanged for decades and educational standards remained alarmingly low. According to him, youth unemployment was officially around 30 percent, but in reality was closer to 60 percent.
Awaam Pakistan party convener Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the budget had largely become meaningless and that the past four years had been among the worst for Pakistan’s economy.
He said the government had failed to provide meaningful relief and had merely withdrawn some previous taxes while imposing new indirect taxes that would ultimately affect every citizen.
Abbasi argued that the country’s economic difficulties did not stem from the IMF, but from domestic political failures. “The real problem is not the IMF; it is our own politics,” he said, adding that the government continued to spend beyond its means.
He warned that rising debt and interest payments put a huge burden on the economy and could also affect national security.
PTI leader Salman Akram Raja also expressed concern over the country’s growing dependence on loans. He warned that reliance on loans would further exacerbate economic distortions and said meaningful reforms were essential to achieve long-term stability.
Raja noted that Pakistan’s public debt had increased by approximately Rs 40 trillion over the past four years, representing an almost 100 percent increase in total debt.
In his press conference, JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman described the budget as an IMF-driven document that offered no meaningful relief to the people. He demanded the immediate abolition of the oil tax and called for the electricity rates for industries to be fixed at 9 cents per watt. unit.
He warned that if the government failed to provide relief, JI would launch a nationwide protest movement, including road blockades.
