AS happens every year, year after year, when the government presented the federal budget 2026-27 in the rather cool chambers of parliament, filled with elegant but empty rhetoric, millions of Pakistanis continued to fight their battles amid sweltering temperatures, trying to survive a killing inflation, power outages, vanishing gas, and empty kitchens. This annual ritual must cease being a sophisticated noose around the necks of a struggling nation. It must become a bridge to dignity, hope and sovereignty.

The government boasts of economic stability and recovery, whereas ground reality is seriously devastating. Nearly half the population languishes below the poverty line. Over 11 million face acute food insecurity. Unemployment nears 22 per cent, with 22 million youth entering a jobless market every year. Thousands flee abroad in desperation, while others rot at tea stalls, wasting away all their energies and turning to drugs and crime.

South Asia’s lowest literacy rate persists, with over 25 million children out of school. Healthcare stands all but collapsed, families push children into labour, and despair drives some to suicide. The middle class — once the nation’s backbone — is vanishing rapidly. This is not recovery. This is a sign of a nation sliding towards the abyss.

A narrow taxation base and ballooning administrative costs devour resources. Chronic trade imbalances widen the gap further. Lenders force the state to squeeze the already-burdened masses. Rupee’s purchasing power stands crushed, and people are left gasping for breath. True relief demands sacrifice from the top, not further extraction from the bottom. The spirit of sacrifice must extend beyond the masses to the privileged.

Slogans and statistics can no longer be substitutes for relief. Most importantly, parliament — so united when protecting its own privileges — must now unite to reclaim national sovereignty. An indebted nation is not a free nation.

The time has come to break the chains of debt. History will judge our represen-tatives whether they chose courage and compassion, or presided over silent suffering. The people have endured enough. Now is the time for genuine statesmanship.

Qamer Soomro
Shikarpur

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2026