Record budget deficit shows PM’s failure: PPP

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Thursday said that the record budget deficit shows the inability of the prime minister and his team to run the country.

How this selected government will overcome the budget deficit of Rs3000 billion,” asked Secretary Information PPP Parliamentarians Dr Nafeesa Shah while reacting to the finance report by Ministry of Finance.

Dr Nafisa Shah said during the tenure of former president Zardari, the country's economy was stabilised and all the internal and external debts were paid in time. “Not only that but the people were getting relief, millions of retrenched employees were restored, an increase of nearly 200% was made in the salaries, Benazir Income Support Programme and Employees Stock Programme were initiated, NFCs were awarded to the provinces and they were given their fair dues,” she said.

The information secretary of the PPP Parliamentarians said that the ‘selected prime minister’ has destroyed the country's economy in his first year in the office and the blood of the people is being sucked by the gas and electricity bills. “Oil prices have been increased nearly 50%, medicine and food is out of the reach of the poor people,” she said.

Dr Shah said that Zardari was right to say that NAB and economy cannot go together as it is apparent that all the institutions giving relief to the people have been paralysed.