Bilawal describes budget as ‘economic attack’

PPP chairman says PM’s anti-people agenda exposed

KARACHI:

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday described the budget unveiled by the federal government for the year 2021-22 as an "economic attack” on the people.

“The PTI would not be allowed to play with the nation’s future,” the scion of the Bhutto dynasty said in a statement.

“We will not let [Prime Minister] Imran Khan to carry out economic massacre,” he added.

The PPP chairman maintained that PM Imran was “deaf, dumb and blind” to the plight of the common man.

He added that the prime minister had no sympathy for the poor. “The new budget has exposed his [PM Imran’s] enmity towards the poor.”

Read: Budget exposed PM Imran's 'anti-people' agenda, says Bilawal

Bilawal said the year had changed, but the conditions of the people remained the same. “A poor man’s house is still being deprived of essential items."

The PPP chairman said while "distorted facts" were being presented through the Economic Survey 2020-21 and an impression was given that the country was progressing, government employees were protesting against inflation outside parliament.

“People are now retaliating because they are aware of the ‘puppet’ prime minister’s hollow promises,” he said.

"They now know that Imran Khan makes tall claims and does nothing. He is incompetent and has completely failed to provide relief to the common man."

The PPP chairman said an “anti-people budget” was expected from the PTI government.

He questioned that if the inflation, unemployment and poverty rates were at their peak during the PTI government’s tenure, how the budget could be people-friendly.

A day earlier while speaking to the protesting employees, the PPP chairman said the PTI government had lied to the people and not fulfilled the promises it made with them.

He said he would raise their demands in the parliament as well.

The PPP chairman pointed out that his party’s government had increased salaries by 120% and pensions by 100% during its tenure. He added that it was the government’s responsibility to increase salaries with the proportion of inflation. He said he had directed the Sindh government to set the minimum salary at Rs25,000.

Read more: Opposition’s hue and cry fails to thwart budget session

Addressing a federal cabinet meeting a day earlier, the prime minister conceded that the government could not provide relief to the people of the country as all resources were utilised for economic recovery and now that it has taken place, the focus of this year’s budget is on providing relief to the weaker sections.

“After this budget, the pace of development work across the country will accelerate. Our priority is the farmer. We are eliminating the role of middleman,” he added.

In the federal budget 2021-22, the prime minister’s gross salary has been proposed to be allocated at a whopping Rs2.441 million for the next fiscal year.

According to the documents available with The Express Tribune, while the PM’s salary has been proposed at Rs2.441 million, the amount for PM House expenses is suggested to be Rs210.80 million.