Bilawal, Shehbaz reject federal budget

Two leaders agree to call APC next week

ISLAMABAD: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif have rejected the budget 2020-21 recently presented by the federal government and decided to call an all-party conference (APC) next week taking into account the evolving political situation in the country.

The PPP scion telephoned the opposition leader in the National Assembly and inquired after his health, two weeks after he tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The PPP chairman also inquired about the health of PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Both the leaders expressed their reservations over the budget and rejected it. They also discussed the ongoing political matters and agreed to summon an APC.

Soon after the budget was announced, the PML-N president had predicted that inflation and unemployment would surge as a result of the budget.

PPP leader Sherry Rehman had termed the budget 2020-21 "non-transparent", saying that the opposition's input should have been sought on the document.

On Tuesday, Shehbaz said that Prime Minister Imran Khan's “confused” statements about the coronavirus outbreak show that he is in a state of denial which, he alleged, is leading to a rise in the deaths due to the deadly disease.

“Ministers are making announcements regarding deaths from the coronavirus but the statements from the premier are in total contradiction to those,” Shehbaz said, in a statement.

The PML-N president said that the people are paying the price of this “confusion” with their lives.

Shehbaz Gill, the premier's aide on political communication, was quick to respond to Shehbaz's assertions.

Gill said that the people are not paying for any confusion, rather they are paying for “your corruption and looting of the country”.

He said that Pakistan’s cases are “declining since last week” and that the country “ranks high among countries with the greatest number of recoveries”.