ISLAMABAD: Friends and foes in the Senate on Tuesday joined forces to disapprove what they called “budget for the elite”, with a PML-N senator seeking review of proposed measures and a PPP lawmaker warning it would be difficult to get the budget passed if promises made to the party were not fulfilled.

Saadia Abbasi of the PML-N called the budget a non-starter for being anti-poor and anti-business. She said the budget was meant to fulfil IMF conditionalities and give the global lender full control of Pakistan’s economy and sovereignty.

She said the budget seeks to channel funds where these were not needed, ignoring critical areas of health, education and socio-economic well-being of the people. “This budget is framed on taxing the people already paying taxes, granting exemptions to some and coercing business community through punitive measures.

She noted that the steps like giving powers of arrest to the FBR will not only lead to greater corruption but also create conditions that will force people not to engage in business practice.

Senators raise questions over legal status of budget sans new NFC award

Recalling that this government itself gave the policy of solarisation, she regretted that it decided to tax the same when the people made investments and a little bit of benefit started to trickle down to them.

She requested the prime minister to review the policies announced in the budget, take into account sentiments of the people and come up with policies that truly address public needs.

Administrative cost

Rejecting the policy of wringing necks of registered taxpayers, Senator Mohsin Aziz of the PTI regretted the enhanced budget for president and PM houses and exorbitant increase in the salaries of the Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker. He called for a massive cut in administrative cost, if the government was serious in improving the economy. He also noted that celebrating rise in foreign remittances as a result of brain drain was not something wise.

Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi of PPP said the budget has failed to reflect aspirations of 240 million people of Pakistan. “It is a budget for the elite,” he remarked. He said the people ask when salaries of lawmakers can be increased manifold, why they are not given a raise in their salaries.

He said that salaries and pensions of government servants should be increased by 50 and 20 per cent, respectively. He also called for doubling the EOBI pension and devolving its funds to the provinces as per the Constitution. He also regretted that budgets were being presented for the last 15 years without NFC award.

Awami National Party Chief Aimal Wali Khan said that it has been the successive governments’ criminal act that they kept making budget sans a new NFC formula and hence denied due share of resources to provinces.

Gas, hydel power royalty

He questioned why Balochistan and KP were not being paid gas and net hydel power royalty. He noted that federating units must get their rights if Pakistan is to be strengthened. The ANP leader regretted that basic facilities and needs like health and education were either non-existent or in a very bad shape.

PTI Senator Aon Abbas Bappi said the economy was on sound footing when an elected government had been removed un­­der a conspiracy. He said the PTI-led go­­­vernment was sent packing only because of someone’s ego problem. About Imran Khan’s incarceration, he said, “You have not jailed a person, but 250 million people and if they decided to get him out, then you and me won’t be able to stop them.”

JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza raised the issue of budget without a new NFC award and said it was a clear violation of the Constitution.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2025