‘People-friendly’ versus ‘anti-poor’

ISLAMABAD: While the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its coalition partners welcomed the federal budget as “people-friendly,” opposition leaders said that the poor have not been offered any relief in the outlay. A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader went so far as to call it “anti-poor”.

Former Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Ilahi said that the budget has not provided any relief to the common man “There is no news for the revival of industry and other deprived sectors, nor is there any package for agricultural sector,”he said.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that it is a balanced budget in which all the needs which arose as a result of the security situation have been taken care of.

Amir Muqam of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) said that the tax formula in the budget is faulty and will soon spur inflation. Ahsan Iqbal of the PML-N said that the budget only consists of new promises and the government is already not keeping its past ones. Farooq Sattar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) said there was nothing in the budget to bridge class differences.

However, acting president of the Punjab chapter of the PPP, Samiullah Khan congratulated the government for “giving relief to the poor in the budget.”

He said the government had won the hearts of people by announcing a 50 per cent increase in salaries of government employees.

Terming the budget anti-people, PML-N leader Javed Hashmi said that the B-team of former president General Pervez Musharraf has been made the A-team of the incumbent government”. He said more steps are needed to improve life standard of the militancy- and poverty-stricken people of Pakistan.

He said that the defence budget should be presented for parliamentary debate so that public representatives could find the best solution for the matter.

PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz Sharif termed the budget “insufficient to cater to the needs of the public”.

Former senior Punjab minister Malik Mushtaq Awan said raise in salaries, pension and minimum wages for labourers under difficult circumstances reflect the success of the PPP in presenting a pro-poor budget.

He said that contrary to the wishes of its opponents, the PPP has won the hearts of people by presenting such a balanced and positive budget.

The lawyers’ community described the budget as balanced, progressive, and growth-oriented. Punjab Bar Council Vice-Chairman Mumtaz Mustafa lauded the government for presenting a budget which aims to curtail unproductive expenses and cut the deficit.

Railways Minister and Awami National Party (ANP) leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour lauded the budget, terming it people-friendly. He said that a sufficient amount has been allocated for development projects to make the life of common man easier. (Additional input from APP and PPI)

Published in the Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2010.