Opposition assails budget, cites IMF limits and provincial grievances

ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties in the National Assembly mounted a broad attack on the federal budget on Saturday, criticising the government’s economic approach, tax measures and what they described as widening grievances among the provinces, a day after the Rs18.77 trillion budget for FY2026-27 was presented with a stated aim of maintaining economic stabilisation and meeting IMF fiscal targets.

Opening the budget debate, Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai said the concerns of people in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other underdeveloped areas needed to be addressed. He argued that the people of each province should have the first claim over their natural resources and said Balochistan continued to be deprived despite producing natural gas. He also warned that a freeze in provincial development allocations would hurt spending on health and other social sectors. Achakzai further raised the issue of detained Pashtun politician Ali Wazir and called for reconciliation.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the opposition’s concerns had not been answered and maintained that economic stability was not possible without political stability. He called for meetings to be allowed with PTI founder Imran Khan and said that if dialogue could take place on other national and international matters, then political talks should also be pursued.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F lawmaker Naeema Kishwar Khan criticised the expansion of the Benazir Income Support Programme, saying the government should place greater emphasis on technical training and jobs for young people rather than assistance schemes. She also asked for details of budget allocations relating to women, the merged tribal districts and ordinary citizens, while also criticising dependence on IMF-driven prescriptions and interest-based borrowing.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Farooq Sattar said the budget had not met public expectations. Referring to extended power outages in Karachi and disparities between regions, he urged the government to adopt policies aimed at balanced development and economic self-sufficiency.

Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Shehla Raza said the budget appeared to be shaped by IMF conditions and questioned the performance of the Federal Board of Revenue. She expressed concern over higher petroleum levy collections, said the tax machinery had not effectively documented the economy, and proposed that revenue collection powers should be transferred to the provinces.

Other PTI lawmakers, including Rana Atif, Sher Afzal Marwat and Nisar Jutt, also criticised the budget during the debate. Rana Atif said the government was leaning heavily on petroleum levies at a time when per capita income was falling and economic pressures were increasing.