Bilawal slams ‘illegal’ budget, ‘false’ growth figures

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday launched a blistering attack on the government’s “illegal” budget and “false” economic growth figures as well as the treasury benches’ conduct in the National Assembly over the past few days.

Delivering a speech in the budget debate, Bilawal said it appeared the government was playing the role of the opposition instead of running the country. He said likening the country — which is being ruled by an “illegitimate government” — to the state of Medina is not appropriate.

On the PTI’s budget, the PPP chairman said the masses know that the claims of 4 per cent growth “are based on lies”. He also termed the budget and the budget session “illegal”, adding that ever since the government took over, no new National Finance Commission (NFC) award was given to provinces. “Every budget will be unconstitutional until the NFC award is given,” said Bilawal.

On inflation, Bilawal said the PTI government has “abandoned the people and left them in a destitute condition.” “If the budget raises petrol, gas, and electricity prices, then every Pakistani has to bear the burden of the government’s incompetence,” said Bilawal, adding that had there been economic growth, so many people would not be unemployed. “The Prime Minister had promised to grant 10 million jobs to people, but on the contrary, even those who were previously employed have now been rendered jobless,” the PPP chairman said.

Bilawal further said the PTI government did not even spare Azad Jammu and Kashmir and burdened the people there with the imposition of taxes. As Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar delivered his response during the National Assembly session, opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif began to walk out. Azhar challenged the opposition, saying: “If they are brave enough to listen to the truth, then they should stay in the House till the end.” Afterwards, Bilawal also left.

Azhar also launched a personal attack on Bilawal. Mocking the manner in which the PPP chairman switched between English and Urdu during his speech, Azhar said: “Twisting one’s mouth while speaking English is not enough to remove the stains of corruption from someone’s character.

“Those who have never done anything and never run a business delivered an immature speech on the government’s budget and economic policies.”

He asked the opposition to go through the budget documents once again and point out what taxes, as they claim, had been levied in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Azhar said that the rate of inflation was higher during the tenure of the PPP government, adding that it was the PPP that went to the IMF more than any other government in the past. “It looks like the opposition is having a hard time digesting that the country has achieved a 4 per cent growth under the rule of the PTI,” said Azhar, adding that the PPP could not even achieve 1 per cent growth during its five-year term.