PML-N white paper terms Punjab budget deception

LAHORE: PML-N has issued a white paper on the performance of the Punjab government, terming the budget of FY20-21 a deception with people. Former Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Malik Ahmad Khan, Syed Hassan Murtaza, Shazia Abid, Bushra Anjum Butt, Rana Ehsan Afzal and Ch Iqbal Gujjar presented the white paper during a press conference held at a local hotel here on Tuesday.

Rana Mashood, addressing the media, said Pakistan made remarkable progress during the rule Mian Nawaz Sharif. Rana said the nation has been suffering from the results of ‘rigged’ general elections of 2018. PTI government has disappointed everyone in the latest budget. The members of the assembly were not taken into confidence while pre-budget session was not held at all. Assembly was made rubber stamp, he alleged, adding the budget was imported from IMF. Rana Mashood said the PTI leaders did a business of lies by making tall claims of bringing 200 billion back, constructing 5 million houses and giving 10 million jobs at the floor of the parliament and Punjab Assembly. The government had been telling the nation lies about the GDP growth which had never been more than 1.01. He said N-league presented last budget of Rs 2000 billion while the PTI government spent only 36 per cent out of 350 billions of budget.

The Punjab government also cut the health budget more than 50 percent. He claimed the budget is not tax free as the government has already imposed 200 per cent tax on people. He said Punjab had always been exporting wheat but PTI has imported wheat. Rana Mashhood criticising the government said if the agriculture department would have sprayed pesticide in the districts with huge population, the locusts could never had attacked. The negligence resulted into the loss of agricultural land spread over 225000 acres. He said tall claims were made to promote poultry and cattle farming but nothing could be done by the visionaries of ‘Sheikh Chilli’. He said the government is taking 90 percent tax on POL products and selling it on a very high price as compared to India and Bangladesh.

PML-N leaders demanded double increase in the salaries of doctors and 10-15 percent raise in the salaries of government employees and pensioners provided their claim of additional budget of Rs 125 billion. They said the government should restore free Wi-Fi and laptop schemes for the youth. They demanded resignation from the Prime Minister and Chief Minister over ‘pushing’ the country into historic destruction.

Hassan Murtaza addressing the conference said the government has deceived the people by making tall claims, adding the government decreased POL prices for a month and then increased 34 per cent all of sudden just to give benefit to petrol mafia. Hamza Shahbaz and Khurshid Shah have been imprisoned just to keep them away from parliament.

Malik Ahmad Khan said the government could not bring improvement or reforms in any department.

He said it is enough for the enmity against Punjab province that if the Punjab budget is in surplus and surplus amount will be given to federal government. Malik said the government has badly failed to control the spread of Covid-19 resulting into increasing number of deaths.

The PMLN leaders said they would bring movement of no confidence against the government. They said they were not coming on streets for protest due to the pandemic. They said the nation needs charter of democracy suggested by PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif. They said another charter to question NAB and taking care of self-respect is also needed.