Lahore:
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) rejected the federal budget and expressed strong reservations about the alleged contempt for the Punjab government party in the budgetary process, causing a war of words between Hassan Murtaza of the PPP and the Minister of Information of Punjab Azma Bukhari.
Speaking at a press conference at the PPP Model Town secretariat, Hassan Murtaza, secretary general of the PPP Central Punjab, said the party was neither consulted nor his suggestions included in the budget.
“The people will not receive any relief from the federal budget or the expected punjab,” he said, criticizing government economic policies and saying that the peace of the region was threatened by a “modification” state of style.
Murtaza also used the opportunity to launch a scathing criticism of international powers, in particular from the United States and Israel, and questioned the credibility of world institutions and the United Nations.
“Muslim Ummah is forced to recite verses of jihad; this is the same strategy that Modi has used against Pakistan,” he said, adding that Pakistan must strengthen its economy as much as its defense.
He castigated the imposition of strong taxes on agriculture, calling this a death knell for farmers. “From essence to fertilizers and seeds, everything has been taxed. And yet wheat is sold cheap while sugar cane is bought on credit and sugar is sold in cash,” he said.
Murtaza accused the Punjab government of exploiting a sugar factory mafia and said rose water worth 320 million rupees had been sprayed on the roads of Lahore while basic installations are not available for the poor.
He also criticized the chief minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, for having allegedly used public funds for personal brand image. “Maryam Nawaz is so obsessed with self-promotion that even the trash can bear her photo. But she cannot include the Prime Minister, his own uncle, in these images,” he said.
Back to the performance of the provincial government, he said that he had not succeeded in his 16 -month mandate. “If you put your face on trash cans, then also learn inflation,” he noted. He also condemned the recent taxation of 18% of solar panels and said that future taxes on essential elements such as oxygen would be the next logical step if such policies would continue.
Mountaza criticized the increase in wages of 10% for government employees, which qualified him insufficient and asked for an increase of 50% instead.
He also denounced what he called the humiliation of health professionals and accused the government of having pushed various departments to protest against Charing Cross rather than allowing them to serve in the offices.
While reiterating the PPP’s commitment to institutional reform, Murtaza said that his party was ready to work with the government to repair the system but would not support operating policies.
He also opposed the advertising bill and urged Pakistan to line up more strongly with neighboring Iran.
In a strong refutation, the Minister of Punjab, Azma Bukhari, rejected Murtaza’s remarks, saying: “A person who could not even win his own seat should not give us conferences.” She said that in private rallies, even Murtaza admitted that the governance of chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was the real reason why the PPP lost ground in Punjab.
“Maryam Nawaz does not only make promises, she fulfills them. She offers real relief to people and translates dreams in reality,” said Bukhari. Referring to the recent visit of Murtaza to Sambrial, she said that he had witnessed the work of the government of first hand.
Bukhari criticized the PPP chief again for rejected a budget that had not even been presented. “This shows the state of your political judgment,” she added. She pointed out that governments with vision can show results even in 16 months, while those who lack management even fail after 16 years.
