Punjab budget document is unproductive paper

The Punjab government budget document is an unproductive and fruitless piece of paper as it cannot materialise its programmes devised for public welfare, owing to a failure to utilise the funds allocated to the schemes.

Punjab has neither any planning to utilise the resources properly nor has a work plan for the development of the province and in my opinion, until a government properly plans something, it cannot serve its people and no development work can be done on its part.

Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif’s government’s poor governance and lack of due attention to public welfare schemes approved in the budget documents of the last three years, even in my ministry’s tenure, caused a lack of funds and most of the development programmes remain unfinished. The Punjab CM never likes to consult his cabinet members and even close aides over important issues, and he has a dictatorial attitude. I am not saying this because of political enmity, it is fact.

The Punjab government can publicise the non-development budget expenditure, but the Annual Development Programme (ADP) that benefits the people in the shape of development work has been ignored for the last three years and they will do the same this time too. In fact that is the main reason they could not deliver for the last three years. I think the Punjab CM is only looking at political gains and providing benefits to his associates and party workers and this is the main cause he does not dare to face the parliamentarians.

I will stick to my point of view that the Punjab government’s poor governance has exposed it to the people and the upcoming budget will make it even more unpopular. The people already know that the provincial government has meagre funds to cater to their needs, but the Punjab government’s inefficiency and incapability coupled, with overlooking public grievances, has caused losses of billions of rupees and this time too they will not be in a position to deliver .

They have not taken any input from the legislators who represent the people of Punjab, a people surrounded by enormous problems and not getting any relief from the Punjab government. The current provincial budget was prepared behind closed doors, without consulting members of the assembly and the cabinet.
This budget will be a 100 percent bureaucracy budget, and will not cater to the needs of the people. As a politician and resident of Punjab province, I think if the government is not realising my needs and working for improvement in my living standards, then it has no right to rule.

We as a true opposition party will not only move motions in the Punjab Assembly to cut down expenses wherever possible, but will also hold a post-budget session and point out all the anti-people movements and projects.
We will not behave like the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and will listen to the budget speech with our fullest attention, and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will continue to work to strengthen democracy and the parliamentary system because it does not believe in the politics of revenge. I here reiterate my party’s stance that the PPP would support the Punjab government in the budget process if the PML-N needs it to.
As told to Nasir Butt