Budget comes under fire in Senate

Lawmakers demand relief measures, slam rising debt

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate on Monday saw a heated debate on the federal budget as opposition and allied parties vehemently slammed the fiscal plan for offering little relief to the poor and urged the government to reduce its own expenditures.

The session, presided over by Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, opened in the afternoon with Finance Bill deliberations taking centre stage as lawmakers from across the political spectrum expressed concern over rising debt, inflation and taxation pressures.

They lamented that the budget lacked meaningful relief for ordinary citizens.

Opposition Leader in the Senate Raja Nasir Abbas, who was allowed to speak while seated due to ill health, blasted the fiscal framework and denounced it as IMF-driven and unsustainable.

He warned that the country was moving towards a financial crisis, questioning the government's economic management and debt accumulation.

"This budget is of the IMF," he said, adding that rising debt and interest payments were pushing Pakistan towards default.

He also claimed that over 20 million people had fallen below the poverty line this year.

PPP Parliamentary Leader Senator Sherry Rehman, while speaking on the floor, warned that indirect taxation was placing an additional burden on the public and raised concerns over the newly introduced carbon levy, which she said would ultimately be passed on to consumers through sales tax.

She stressed the need for greater relief for low-income groups and urged the government to cut its own expenditure.

A minute of silence was observed in the House for two personnel who lost their lives in a military helicopter crash in Muzaffarabad.

Senator Mohsin Aziz also denounced the budget, saying the government could only be praised if inflation had been reduced and relief delivered to citizens. He added that prices of essential goods such as wheat had risen sharply in recent years. He maintained that the budget offered nothing for the poor and accused major political parties of making false promises.

Senator Shahadat Awan of the PPP said the budget could be described as balanced but not in the interest of the common man, warning that food security had been neglected.

Senator Jan Mohammad Baloch said provinces were contributing significantly to the federation but receiving limited returns, criticising the growing reliance on borrowing.