Bilawal terms budget tsunami for Pakistan economy

ISLAMABAD: The PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Saturday said the “PTIMF” budget was a tsunami for the economy, agriculture and health sectors, which may unleash a wave of poverty and famine-like conditions in the country if not resisted by the entire nation.

“The policies of the selected PTI government were akin to taking revenge on the people for questioning its legitimacy, as its federal budget exercise exposed both its callousness and indifference to the urgent needs of the people at such a delicate time for both lives and livelihoods,” he said while addressing a meeting of the PPP lawmakers from Senate and National Assembly here at Zardari House through video link.

Bilawal said it is obvious that budget proposals have ignored the COVID-19 pandemic, locust attack and the wellbeing

of healthcare professionals, the needs of the salaried class, pensioners and poverty-ridden people.

“This budget should have given incentives to pensioners to stay home but by not increasing their pensions, or being sensitive to the real needs of the poor it claims to champion, it has tried to compel them to come

out in a pandemic when the world is encouraging stay home policy for all, especially the elderly,” he said.

The PTI chairman said the budget was actually for providing comfort to elite, which lacks any structural relief plan for the poor and vulnerable communities.

“The PPP has already rejected the anti-poor budget and would vehemently oppose it at all elected forums also,” he added.