Budget anti-people, will hurt economy: PTI

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have outrightly rejected the federal budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, labeling it as “elitist, anti-people, and destructive to the economy.”

In a joint press conference held in Islamabad, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, Senator Shibli Faraz, Salman Akram Raja, Sheikh Waqas Akram and others criticized the budget as a document aimed at depriving the poor and enriching the elite.

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said the government’s claim of a 2.7pc GDP growth was far from reality. “Major sectors like large-scale manufacturing, agriculture, and food have shrunk into the negative. Only IT is being used to show artificially inflated growth,” he said. He highlighted the steep rise in basic food prices: “Eggs have surged from Rs135 to Rs288 per dozen, while wheat has gone from Rs58 to Rs75 per kilogram.”

Senate Opposition Leader Senator Shibli Faraz said, “Every year, the budget reflects the government’s priorities — unfortunately, successive governments have used it to benefit the elite.” He lamented that many people were unable to afford sacrificial animals this year, and that the salaried class was being crushed under inflation. Faraz asserted, “Until there is justice and constitutional supremacy in the country, the economy, institutions, and people will continue to suffer.” He further condemned the “illegal imprisonment” of PTI’s founding leader and his spouse, calling the current system unjust. He concluded by reaffirming, “Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and its allies categorically reject this budget in its entirety.”

Secretary General PTI Salman Akram Raja criticized the tax burden on salaried individuals, stating, “Last year, they bore a 100pc increase in burden; this year, there’s still no relief.” He noted that while taxes on the sale and purchase of plots in Islamabad had been reduced from 4pc, small savers were being left at the mercy of economic giants. He also pointed out that the hike in the petroleum levy was a move to deprive provinces of their rightful share.

PTI’s Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram said the farmers had been neglected, resulting in a $10 billion loss a fact, he claimed, even the finance minister has admitted.