Aseefa terms budget anti-people

Opposition, allies criticise tax-laden budget

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari criticised on Sunday the federal budget for fiscal 2024-25, saying that it should have provided relief for farmers and ordinary citizens amid record-high inflation and unemployment.

During the National Assembly session, chaired by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the opposition Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) members staged walk-out in protest after they were not allowed to speak on the point of objection. They also engaged in heated arguments with the treasury members on the budget.

In their budget speeches, the lawmakers from the opposition Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) rejected the budget outright. From the treasury benches, after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) also complained of not being taken into confidence on the budget.

Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, daughter of President Asif Zardari and sister of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, slammed the anti-people” budget. “Do the people of Pakistan deserve this anti-people budget?” she asked.

“We need to move forward to provide relief for the common man and strengthen our farmers. The people of Pakistan deserve better, and we should work together to achieve improvement,” she said, highlighting the hardships facing the vulnerable segments of the society.

“We needed a budget that did not seek to benefit large corporations at the expense of the most vulnerable in our society, a budget which provided relief and redirected subsidies to the poor, farmers, labourers and the working class,” she continued.

Stressing the need for unity, she said that it was the need of the hour “at a time when divisive politics threatens to harm our nation, when the people are polarised in their ideals, beliefs and actions, when differences are weaponised and disagreements are settled with violence”.

The PPP leader urged the lawmakers to come together for the people and base their policies on the people’s needs. “Together, we have to find a way to give relief to the people who are suffering 15 hours a day without electricity in this sweltering heat,” she said.

She expressed the hope to witness a new age and beginning in politics, which allowed for working together for the prosperity and progress of the country and its citizens. “Only then, would we be doing justice to the work for which people have elected us.”

PPP stalwart Khursheed Shah said that the increase in population should be stopped whether or not the government went to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The people needed water, health, education and other facilities, he said, adding that here children still sat on the ground in schools.

PPP lawmaker Shazia Marri said that the party joined the ruling coalition under an agreement but it was not was not being respected by the government. “We want to work together but [PPP Chairman] Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was not taken into confidence during the budget making,” she said.

MQM-P’s Jawed Hanif and Aminul Haq suggested that the government revisited tax on the salaried class, and policies for health, education and agriculture sectors. They also called for completing the urban development projects.

Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said that the opposition was unprepared for the budget debate. Maritime Affairs Minister Qaiser Sheikh said that the economy was experiencing significant growth, and credited the incumbent government the improvement.

Sheikh urged the government to focus on information technology and agriculture, enhance support for Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), “The SMEs are the backbone of economy, driving innovation, employment, and inclusive growth.”

The SIC members termed budget an “IMF’s tax book”. The added that there was no hope for any relief to the people from the present government coming on the basis of Form 47. SIC legislator Nisar Ahmed proposed interest-free loans to farmers to enhance their livelihoods.

SIC lawmaker Riaz Fatyana urged the government for creating job opportunities for the youth of the country. Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood said funds should be allocated to the education sector, especially for scholarships. Syed Waseem Hussain demanded effective steps to facilitate poor segments of the society. (WITH INPUT FROM APP)