JI slams budget as ‘anti-people’

PESHAWAR: Jamaat-e-Islami Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Central) chief, Abdul Wasi, has criticized the federal budget 2025-26 as a brutal assault on the salaried class and a manifestation of economic injustice.

In a press statement issued here on Thursday, he expressed concern over what he described as the federal government’s clear preference for the wealthy elite over the working population. “The budget revolves around the interests of the rich and powerful,” he said, adding that imposing further taxes on the salaried class instead of industrialists and capitalists is sheer oppression, he added.

The JI leader criticized the allocation of a massive Rs8,207 billion for interest payments on loans and called it a moment of deep concern, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling against interest-based economic systems. “Despite the court’s decision, the continuation of a riba-based budget is lamentable,” he remarked.

Regarding the funds earmarked for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the merged tribal districts, Wasi said they were grossly insufficient and likened them to sprinkling salt on the wounds of the people. He said the funds allocated for the tribal districts were nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

“The federal government has deliberately ignored Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the budget,” he claimed, adding that despite producing electricity, the province continues to suffer from severe load-shedding.