ISLAMABAD: Opposition leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja, and Senator Shibli Faraz, launched a scathing attack on the federal budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, calling it a burden on the poor and a boon for the elite.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Salman Akram Raja said the budget is designed to “make the poor poorer and the rich richer.” He criticized the government for doubling the tax burden on salaried individuals over the past year despite repeated requests from this class for relief.
He also highlighted the reduction of tax on the buying and selling of plots in Islamabad from 4%, calling it a move that sacrifices small savers for the benefit of large investors. “The Petroleum Development Levy has been increased, but it is not being categorized as a tax so that provinces are denied their share,” he added.
Senator Shibli Faraz echoed similar sentiments, claiming that the budget, like previous ones, is tailored for the privileged class. “In the last three years, budget policies have broken all records of elitism,” he said. He alleged that the elite have been granted benefits worth Rs5 trillion.
Faraz criticized the economic performance, noting that the agriculture sector showed negative growth, which he attributed to flawed government policies.
“Industrial growth and the services sector have also suffered badly, while 30% of the population could not afford to sacrifice animals this Eid,” he added.
He warned that the country’s debt has ballooned to Rs73 trillion, and blamed the current government for the depreciation of the rupee, which he claimed is now valued lower than the Afghan currency.
Expressing solidarity with protesting government employees, he said the salaried class is being treated unjustly and deserves a pay raise. “How can a nation dependent on IMF crutches progress?” he asked sarcastically.
Leader of the Opposition Omar Ayub rejected the budget outright, saying that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its allies will not support it.
“The figures presented in yesterday’s Economic Survey have simply been repackaged for the budget,” he alleged, calling the government’s claims of 2.7% GDP growth “fabricated,” as most indicators are in the negative.
He compared prices from his party’s tenure to current rates, noting that petrol was Rs150 per liter in March 2022 and now stands at Rs253. “Chicken has gone from Rs287 per kg to Rs600, and the prices of milk, eggs, onions, and other essentials have multiplied several times,” Ayub said.
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