• PTI members accuse govt of presenting ‘IMF-dictated’ budget, lacking mandate
• Khawaja Asif says economy out of ‘ICU’, urges ‘collective efforts’ for political, economic solutions
• Mustafa Kamal criticises NFC award for giving excessive importance to population
ISLAMABAD: The budget session of the National Assembly was dominated by political point-scoring instead of a substantial debate on the next year’s fiscal plan, as the government and the opposition lawmakers railed against each other.
The speeches of the opposition members, however, continued to face censorship in electronic media and official social media channels of the house. The PPP chairman, who was present in the house, was supposed to deliver a speech on the budget, at least that’s what the speculations in the galleries claimed. But he did not come to the house.
It may be noted that the PPP leader has been unhappy with the PML-N government, and only joined the June 12 session after reluctance.
The PTI lawmakers criticised the budget, calling it an ‘IMF-dictated’ document that did not bring any relief to the public. They also alleged that the government was a “puppet” of the powers that be.
‘Not in ICU’
In response to criticism by the opposition lawmakers, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the economy had left the “intensive care unit”.
“When we [presented] the first budget, we were insolvent. There was always the danger that we would default today or tomorrow. The IMF bailed us out with strict conditions, which we are now bearing but we have become solvent. Our economy is breathing; it has left the ICU,” he said.
“I will not say that we are reaching the stars but our trajectory bears witness that in one or two years … we will reach a place where Pakistan achieves a growth rate of 6-7 per cent,” he said.
Terrorism in Balochistan
He also talked about insecurity in Balochistan and Pakistan’s role in brokering the agreement with the United States and Iran. Regarding the issue of terrorism in Balochistan, he added that the situation had not been created recently but a lot of people had contributed to it. “I will not take names but it is everyone’s responsibility,” he said, stressing that if Balochistan’s roads were not safe, the “collective responsibility” also lay with the house.
“I can accuse my brothers on that side of the aisle about what happened in their time, and they can accuse me, but it goes back to the 50s,” he noted, adding, “If we want to search for a solution, we have to search for it collectively.”
He said terrorism happening in Pakistan, whether in Balochistan or in KP, both problems originated from Afghanistan.
“I had gone to Kabul twice alongside senior delegation members, where negotiations had happened with the whole leadership involved, including the DG ISI of the time, they agreed with everything but could not give us anything in writing.” the minister added.
He lauded the sacrifices of 4,317 personnel belonging to army, other law enforcement agencies and civilians who had been martyred in the war on terrorism from 2022 until today.
Mr Asif alleged that those creating troubles in AJK were either stationed in London or India and were trying to discredit the sacrifices rendered by Kashmiri migrants who are settled all over Pakistan.
He also regretted Pakistan’s previous policy of being “America’s proxy” with the expectation of big returns, saying, “Pakistan became a battleground. And who won that war? The people who came here, used us, and after that went back to their homes, leaving debris and weapons here.”
Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi also slammed the PTI members. “We all faced prison terms and political victimisation under your regime, but we did not raise such a hue and cry?” he said, calling the PTI members ‘weak’.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal of MQM-Pakistan criticised the fund distribution formula under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award as “flawed”. He noted that the NFC formula was 82 per cent population-based, which encouraged the provinces to enhance their population.
According to the minister, there was no mechanism in the current award to ensure that the allocations received under the federal budget reached the grassroots.
Meanwhile, Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf criticised the NFC distributions in his province, saying that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was not spending justifiably in the Hazara division.
Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2026