LAHORE: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday urged the government for at least a 10 per cent increase in salaries of government employees as he termed the government’s decision of no raise in the salaries “totally unacceptable”.
President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif said that PML-N, during its tenure, raised salaries of the government employees and provided them housing allowance and other benefits.
He further said that inflation has crossed all limits and health expenditure has also increased, so not increasing salaries of government employees in these circumstances is injustice.
Shehbaz Sharif further said that there are no programs in the budget to create jobs and reduce poverty in the country. The budget does not include any program that provides relief to farmers despite the fact that the agricultural sector is suffering a decline of 2.9 per cent, he added.
On Saturday, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also criticised the budget.
Bilawal had said that the policies of the selected government were akin to taking revenge on the people for questioning its legitimacy, as its federal budget exercise exposed both its callousness and indifference to the urgent needs of the people at such a delicate time.
The PPP chairman had stated that it is obvious that budget proposals have ignored the Covid-19 pandemic, locust attacks and the well-being of healthcare professionals, the needs of the salaried class, pensioners and poverty-ridden people.
