ISLAMABAD:
The opposition PTI party on Friday rejected the federal budget for the next fiscal year, terming it a pro-rich, anti-poor financial plan that places the burden on ordinary citizens while extending aid to privileged sections of society.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar said the PML-N-led government’s fiscal plan did not offer any meaningful relief to the public. He called the budget disappointing and said the party had no expectations from the government.
He added that there had been no notable improvement in governance over the past four years, saying that instead of cutting spending, the government had resorted to repeated borrowing. Gohar said the government’s mismanagement and extravagance had increased, stressing that a budget should bring real relief to citizens and reduce economic hardship.
On political engagement, he said efforts were underway to meet party leaders and contacts were being made wherever there was a possibility of progress, but no positive response had been received so far. He added that people were under severe economic pressure as the government continued to invite the opposition to engage. “PTI would not attend meetings for photo ops.” He sought serious political progress.
Separately, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the budget was in fact a typical PML-N document, alleging that it reflected an “elite-friendly” approach in which the poor received only “crumbs” while the rich received aid.
He alleged that the 2026-27 budget was based on manipulation of numbers and focused on harassing honest taxpayers rather than real reforms. He also criticized the introduction of anonymous audits, saying they were being used to target legitimate businesses.
Akram said the government had imposed taxes in several areas in the last few budgets while continuing to manipulate the numbers, adding that the latest financial plan followed the same pattern. He claimed the budget punished honest taxpayers while ignoring large-scale tax evasion, calling it misleading and anti-public.
