KARACHI: While rejecting the federal budget 2022-23, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Friday said that the budget had no direction and it would bring more inflation and more unemployment to the country.
In a video statement, PTI leader Hammad Azhar said the inflation will increase by 2%-3% in the country and the gross domestic product (GDP) will be halved — dropping from 6% to 2%-3%.
Azhar, a former finance and energy minister, said there was “a lot of instability” in Pakistan’s economy and the country was on the brink of default.
“In the budget, we did not see the direction that we needed to take the country out of the economic crisis and clear the uncertainty that the incumbent government has created,” Azhar said, adding that Pakistan would face “more employment”.
Azhar said the budget was approved “in a haste” and does not hold “any importance”.
PTI Senator Ejaz Chaudhry said the government unveiled a “people’s enemy” budget and the nation would deal with the rulers themselves.
PTI Secretay-General Asad Umar wondered at what rate would the inflation rise when it witnessed an increase of 24% as compared to the last year.
PTI leader and ex-science minister Shibli Faraz said a “handicapped” Parliament did not have legal or moral grounds to present the country’s budget as they have “deteriorated” the economy within two months after coming into power.
“We reject this budget. Each day this government remains in power, it will be a burden on the masses. There is only one solution to this: hold early elections,” the ex-science and technology minister said.
Talking to journalists outside the Parliament, Senator Shahzad Waseem said since the incumbent government came into power, the price of petrol and all other essential commodities have increased.
“This budget does not have anything but sorrows for the people. A voice matters more than numbers in the Opposition. We will expose this government every day,” the PTI senator added.
