Welcoming the federal budget, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Thursday lauded the government for reducing expenses of President House and Prime Minister (PM) Secretariat.
In a statement issued from Watan Kor, he also welcomed the withdrawing of discretionary funds for ministers.
However, he expressed concern over not increasing salaries of government employees in the face of burgeoning inflation. He expressed the hope that the government would meet revenue targets set in the budget.
He lauded the government for coming up with a plan to settle circular debt within 60 days and hoped a viable solution would be found to overcome this issue once and for all.
Sherpao said around 40,000 people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were killed and its infrastructure was destroyed in acts of subversion, but the government did not announce any financial package for the economic revitalisation of the province.
He said the people of KP had attached high expectation from the new government on a financial package for economic revitalisation of the province. Quoting the finance minister, he said KP had suffered losses to the tune of $125 billion.
The QWP chief said over 70 percent industrial units in KP were closed owing to unfavourable circumstances. He said the government, instead of announcing more incentives for businessmen and industrialists from KP, withdrew the ones announced by the previous government.
“The government should have announced more incentives for revival of industries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where joblessness has increased over the last five years,” he added.
He said previous governments had also sought financial help from the Internatioanl Monetary Fund (IMF) and it was necessary to engage the IMF for seeking monetary help from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other financial institutions.
The former interior minister said the budget did not have any relief for the common man and would trigger more inflation. He said increase in the general sales tax was also unjustified.
