EVERY year, Pakistan prepares for the big event — the budget announcement. The finance minister stands before the nation to share numbers, plans and promises. But what really steals the show is not the budget itself; it is the chaos that unfolds around it. The finance minister stands at the podium, trying to deliver a carefully prepared speech. On the other side, opposition members hoot, shout slogans, and rip up copies of the budget document as if they had been waiting all year for this moment.

The very same pattern is seen in the provincial assemblies. If you have ever tuned in live, it is less a legislative debate, and more like a chaotic fish market, minus the actual fish.

It is hard not to wonder if this is serious governance, or just a show. The members of national and provincial assemblies arrive in their luxury cars with undue protocol, not just on budget day but for every session. They sit in the assembly, but nothing meaningful ever seems to happen. When it is budget day, the usual chaos begins — shouting and protests. It feels like they are more interested in creating a scene than solving real issues.

When the proposal is about increasing their salaries, everyone is suddenly on the same page. No shouting, no protests, just quick and smooth approval. But when it comes to public issues, unity is the last thing on their minds.

Imagine if all the parliamentarians worked together, sitting calmly and focussed, taking down notes for subsequent debates and discussion. They could resolve loopholes, prioritise public needs, and create a plan everyone supports. Well, it is too rosy a dream to dream.

In the end, the budget does get passed anyway; it always does. So, why all this drama? Is it just to score political points, or to entertain their supporters? Whatever the reason, the people who are truly affected by these budgets rarely see their issues addressed in this noisy spectacle.

If our politicians could channel even a fraction of this energy into meaningful discussions and collaborative problem-solving, maybe the budget proceedings could serve their true purpose.

Until then, we are left with an annual spectacle that is part comedy and part tragedy. Overall, it is simply frustrating.

Fozan Akmal
Faisalabad

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2025