JI, JUI-F, JUP criticise budget

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Sirajul Haq has lamented that a large chunk of the Rs 8.5 trillion budget would go to the global money lenders as interest payments on loans, raising fiscal deficit and suppressing the already stunted economic growth.

This cycle of interest-based economy has plunged the national economy into a deep hole and the rulers never developed a sincere plan to get rid of this evil circle for decades, he said while commenting on the federal budget 21-22 on Friday.

He demanded that the government immediately reverse the policy of privatization of public assets and allocate more funds for the PSDP besides focusing on poverty alleviation programme. He said the government would bring several mini budgets after finalization of talks with the IMF.

He said the federal budget was not growth-oriented as promised by the finance minister and lacked planning to mitigate the challenge of massive unemployment and inflation.

He said the government should announce at least 30 per cent increase in salaries and pensions of government employees.

He said the JI had always demanded Rs 30,000 monthly wage for labourers. He demanded that tax targets for the next year should focus on production growth rather than squeezing the existing taxpayers.

The government must spend funds on improving the policing and law and order. Rs 12 billion allocations for the agricultural growth are mere a peanut compared to the huge challenges faced by the growers. He bemoaned small funds allocations for the construction of water reservoirs and strengthening the transmission system.

PDM and JUI-F President of Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that during three years of the PTI government, the economy remained stagnant as the rulers lack ability to improve it, adding that incorrect budget figures were presented to hoodwink the masses.

He was replying to media questions after condoling with poet Syed Salman Gilani and his brothers on the death of their mother on Friday.

He said the PTI has been patronizing the corrupt mafia and ruining the economy for three years, but suddenly the entire blame was laid on Shaukat Tarin.

He expressed sorrow that the PTI failed to bring any structural change and fundamental policy to provide relief to the common man who has been crushed by inflation, poverty and unemployment and cannot breathe a sigh of relief, adding that an elite section in the government ranks considered its prosperity as the prosperity of the country.

He lamented that some cosmetic relief in a small reduction in duties was shown to divert the attention from the fact that the entire economy is pawned before the IMF and the World Bank. He feared that the government would bring more mini budgets throughout the year to satisfy the global money lenders’ conditions.

JUP Vice President Qari Zawwar Bahadur said the budget was mere jugglery of figures as no concrete policy was given for poverty alleviation and taxing the rich.

He said some taxes were nominally reduced to show off relief but the basic needs remained out of the reach of the poor as all the burden of huge foreign loans was transferred to the common man.