ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) has rejected the government’s plan to unveil a mini-budget later this month.

Parliamentary leader of the PPP in the Senate Sherry Rehman in a statement expressed her reservations over the ever-increasing price hike and government’s plans to introduce a mini-budget to make lives of the common man more miserable.

Strongly opposing the plan, Ms Rehman asked if the government which was determined to bring about a revolution would introduce mini-budgets every four months. She advised the government to prepare for the annual budget, saying that this was not the time to unveil a mini-budget.

She observed that the mini- budget was being unveiled to meet the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “We strongly oppose the decision,” she said. Ms Rehman regretted that the government continued to levy new taxes and increase the prices of one or the other commodity every month.

She regretted that just a day after increase in the prices of drugs, the government announced its plans about unveiling a mini-budget. “The tsunami of change has turned into a price hike tornado,” she remarked and pointed out that the rate of inflation which stood at 5.8 per cent had gone up to 6.2pc while the growth rate had substantially gone down. Ms Rehman said that those who talked of business-friendly policies had devastated businesses. She said the government had no direction and had failed to efficiently run the economy.

The PPP leader said that the government had done nothing except chanting slogans of accountability and setting the economy aright.

Talking to Dawn, she said that the economy appeared to be in shambles while ‘accountability’ was merely being used as a tool against political opponents. She said that the opposition demanded that the government reverse its policy of witch-hunt and stop taking steps that added to the problems being faced by the people.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2019