Reacting on the fourth federal budget presented by Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) government, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chairman Dr. Tahirul Qadri said that the budget was a total failure and a jugglery of facts and figures adding that the budget will only increase the size of government’s begging bowl, and the suicide rate in the country.
He said the budget has failed to present any concrete measures for the betterment of the poor of the country, and added that the proposals, resources and suggestions are all imported or rather dictated by foreign agencies. He said there are no proposals to bring down the prices of the food that the poor man consumes; no plan to give free education and health facilities and no plan on how to get rid of the ever-increasing foreign loans.
He said that a crude joke has again been played on the pensioners and the government employees as always.
The PAT leader said that despite the fact that prices of oil in the international market were falling, no benefit has been given to the common man. He said the prices of furnace oil at are their lowest ebb but the cost of electricity continues to rise in the country and the duration of load shedding is much higher than it was last year.
Dr. Tahirul Qadri said that the main issues the country faces are terrorism, corruption, incompetence and foreign loans but the budget failed to comment on solution of these important problems. He said the budget is visionless and has no direction. He said the amount allocated for the return of foreign loans is far more than what has been allocated for infrastructure, education and health.
Qadri said if the current rulers continue to stay in power, the problems of the country will also increase. He said the Budget that has been presented in the parliament has been prepared by foreigners who have complete control over our rulers, and added that the dilemma is that the people who spend more than Rs 14,000 on tea in a day have prepared a budget for over 70 per cent of people who live under the poverty line.
