LARKANA: Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) Secretary General Dr Safdar Abbasi has rejected Pakistan’s newly announced federal budget, branding it entirely detrimental to the interests of the ordinary citizen.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Dr Abbasi warned that the national economy is buckling under a staggering debt burden of Rs 81,000 billion, with a significant portion of national revenue swallowed by interest payments alone. He cautioned that instead of alleviating public distress under these dire circumstances, the financial burden on the populace intensifies daily.

The GDA leader highlighted a persistently widening trade deficit and falling exports, which have placed foreign exchange reserves under severe pressure. This structural weakness, he noted, repeatedly forces Pakistan to seek external loans or turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programmes. Dr Abbasi argued that the stringent conditions attached to these IMF loans compel the government to impose relentless tax hikes and inflation on the masses, increasing their hardships.

Dr Abbasi sharply criticised the state’s soaring non-essential expenditures at a time when ordinary citizens remain deprived of basic amenities. He pointed specifically to the procurement of new official vehicles, enhanced perks and privileges for ministers and assembly members, and salary increases for officials. With expenditures rising alongside a stagnation in revenue, the fiscal deficit is spiralling beyond state control, he warned.

Furthermore, he noted that the massive allocation of national income to debt servicing has left a critical shortage of resources for essential development and welfare projects.

Dr Abbasi condemned the budget for failing to offer relief through comprehensive tax reforms and for lacking any effective strategies to boost exports, agricultural productivity, education, healthcare, or employment generation. Warning that inflation, unemployment, and poverty are accelerating while the middle class rapidly disappears, he demanded the immediate withdrawal of the budget. He urged the government to replace it with a realistic, development-oriented framework that prioritises public relief.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2026