Ameer de Jamaat-E-Islami, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, firmly rejected the federal budget, marking it a “pro-elite document” which exacerbates poverty, inflation and inequalities.
Addressing a press conference in Mansoora on Wednesday, he said that the government had not supported the ordinary man, rather choosing to promote the ruling class and the privileged segments of the company.
“The budget imposes a heavy tax burden on salaried and intermediate income groups while offering no significant concession or structural reforms,” he said.
He called for allegations to reduce poverty by the government as “delusional” and “unlike soil realities”, noting that more than 110 million Pakistani continue to live below the poverty line.
Hafiz Naeem accused the government of having poorly managed the Benazir income support program (BISP), alleging that it has become a tool for political manipulation and corruption, especially in the Sindh.
700 billion rupees allocated to poverty reduction are used for corruption practices. This abusive use must be studied and the officials punished, “he said.
He argued that if these funds were invested in IT education, Pakistan’s revenues in the IT industry could have exceeded 300 billion rupees.
Criticizing the state of education, he stressed that nearly 29.2 million children remain outside the school, while the “ghost schools” continue to empty public funds by fraudulent means.
He deplored the lack of investment in education despite the repeated allegations of an “emergency of education”.
Speaking on the tax, Hafiz Naeem revealed that the salaried class had contributed to 499 billion tax rupees this year, but has received no relief.
He called for a complete tax exemption for salaried workers and condemned the fact that 111 departments, including organizations managed by soldiers and private entities such as the ZIA hospital, are exempt from taxes while the poor are overwhelmed by inflated public service bills.
He strongly criticized the recent increase of 600% of the wages of the president of the National Assembly and president of the Senate, questioning the silence of government representatives in the matter.
He also denounced the imposition of an 11% tax on solar energy systems, describing it as a violation of environmental and energy conservation commitments.
“The government and the opposition only claim to be adversaries, but unite when it comes to strengthening their advantages and privileges,” he said.
Commenting on the economy, Hafiz Naeem said that the country’s current growth rate of 0.45% reflects the failures of politicians, in particular the “anti-agrippe” measures taken by successive governments.
He criticized the Crédit Agricole programs as “advertising waterfalls” which do not provide real support for farmers and highlighted a 30% drop in cotton cultivation due to negligent policies.
He described the continuous use of obsolete tools such as form 47 as emblematic of systemic rot in agricultural governance.
He also alleged that public funds are collected through excessive taxation without any tangible advantage in return, whether in education, health or public security.
Referring to the independent agreements of electricity producers (PPI), he declared that the promises of reduced electricity rates remain dissatisfied, while the increase in oil samples represent a “day flight” of the pockets of citizens.
“The government has conceded that it could be lower than the income targets of 1,500 billion rupees and intends to impose 500 billion additional taxes. What is the logic behind such a budget?” He asked.
Citing the debt figures, Hafiz Naeem said that each Pakistan has 76,000 rupees now, with 5 rumbers of rupees out of 11 billions of total debt service to payments of interest. “If the interest rates were divided by two, this would considerably reduce the prices of electricity and gas,” he added.
He described the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) a “corruption center”, pleading for deep institutional reforms or even the dissolution of the FBR to improve tax perception and eliminate debt dependence. He accused the FBR of having used threats of anti-corruption action to facilitate additional corruption.
Demanding a reduction in civil and military privileges, he urged the government to redirect national resources to the authentic needs of the population, in particular the defense requirements rooted in strategic necessity, and not on extravagance.
Reaffirming his support for farmers, Hafiz Naeem announced a campaign against the injustices with which the agrarian community was faced, citing a success prior to the reduction of electricity prices following public pressures against the IPP.
On Foreign Affairs, he allegedly alleged that the Intelligence Agency of India, RAW, is involved in the sponsorship of terrorism in Balutchistan. “There can be no negotiations with accomplices of terrorism,” he said.
He also urged the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bilawal Bhutto, to pursue serious diplomatic efforts on the question of cashmere and demanded a clear position and based on principles of the Pakistani government against American and Israeli policies.
