ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Tuesday strongly condemned the federal budget for the fiscal year 2025–26, labeling it as “anti-people” and “designed to serve the elite,” while accusing the government of deepening the financial burdens faced by ordinary Pakistanis.
The criticism came as the finance minister unveiled a Rs17.573 trillion budget aimed at achieving 4.2% economic growth in the next fiscal year. However, PTI leaders dismissed the figures and projections as disconnected from economic reality.
Addressing a press conference alongside Senator Shibli Faraz, Salman Akram Raja, and Sheikh Waqas Akram, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub announced that PTI and its allied parties “categorically reject” the budget, calling it “unrealistic and deceptive.”
“The government claims a 2.7% GDP growth—but where’s the evidence?” Ayub said, questioning the legitimacy of official data with a sarcastic jab: “Did someone actually go out and count the donkeys? Both the four-legged and two-legged kinds?”
Highlighting rising inflation and declining purchasing power, Ayub pointed out the sharp increase in the prices of basic food items. “Wheat was Rs58 per kilogram during our tenure; now it’s Rs75. Eggs were Rs135 a dozen—now they’re Rs288,” he said, noting the widening gap between wages and living costs.
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram echoed the criticism, referencing past comments by the finance minister. “He himself admitted that flawed agricultural policies cost the economy $10 billion. Yet he claims there wasn’t even $2 billion available to prevent that damage.”
Calling the document a “sham budget,” Akram said, “The government couldn’t even name this budget. So we’ve named it for them—‘Leila Budget,’ likening it to a sacrificial goat.”
He added that the salary increases for government employees offered little real benefit. “The raise amounts to just Rs20,000–25,000 annually. It would have been more respectful to acknowledge the public’s pain instead of announcing such a token amount,” he said. “Even pension hikes of 7.6% don’t match inflation. It’s clear that even civil servants are no longer exempt from the government’s indifference.”
Senator Shibli Faraz, the Opposition Leader in the Senate, also condemned the budget, saying it reflects the priorities of the elite rather than the needs of the people. “Our neighbours are advancing economically, while we’re regressing,” he said. “This government is not representative of the people—it’s a byproduct of Form-47.”
Faraz accused the government of painting a false picture of economic stability. “They speak as if the country is flourishing, but the average citizen is struggling to survive. This Eid, many couldn’t even afford to sacrifice an animal.”
He pointed out that while the elite have received Rs5 trillion in concessions, national debt has ballooned from Rs73 trillion to Rs76 trillion. “They bleed the poor dry but dare not touch the privileged few,” he remarked.
Faraz also criticized the government’s dependence on international lenders. “A country that survives on IMF bailouts cannot claim sovereignty,” he said, adding that most of the federal revenue is now consumed by debt servicing.
Commenting on protests by government employees earlier in the day, Faraz said the state’s response reflected its repressive attitude. “Access to Parliament was blocked, and reaching here was a challenge. This is how the government treats its own workers.”
He concluded by denouncing the philosophy behind the budget: “Budgets in this country always mirror the ruling elite’s interests. But this one—under the PDM regime—has surpassed all previous records in burdening the poor to protect the rich.”
Faraz also criticized the government’s neglect of key economic sectors. “Industries are shrinking. Farmers are being forced to sell wheat at loss-making prices. Even cotton—a major contributor to our GDP—has been completely sidelined.”
