PTI denounces government’s fiscal approach as 'anti-poor'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday stepped up its criticism of the federal government, accusing the ruling coalition of pursuing policies that hurt farmers and low-income households while worsening the broader economic situation.

At a press conference, PTI lawmakers Usama Mela, Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood, Mubeen Arif Jutt and Shandana Gulzar said there was a wide gap between official economic claims and conditions on the ground. They alleged that while ordinary people were facing mounting hardship, those in power were increasing their own spending and placing a heavier tax burden on the public.

Agriculture and cotton output

Usama Mela said the agriculture sector was in severe difficulty under the current government. He claimed the sector managed growth of only 0.6pc against a target of 6pc and said cotton cultivation had fallen sharply.

Referring to taxation and its impact on farming, he claimed the area under cotton had dropped steeply. “Due to crippling taxation policies, the total cultivable area for cotton has been drastically reduced from 2.4 million to just 5.5 lakh acres,” he told reporters.

Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood also questioned the government’s approach to agriculture, saying it lacked serious interest in the sector. He said Pakistan had once produced 16 million bales of cotton, only one million behind India, but that output had now declined to around five million bales.

He further said the Federal Seed Certification Department had been abolished in the name of downsizing and replaced with a seed authority. According to him, instead of bringing improvements, the new setup recruited staff at more than twice the earlier salaries, which he said had made the institution ineffective.

Taxation and public spending

Shandana Gulzar said there was a sharp contrast between what she described as economic stability during Imran Khan’s tenure and the data being presented by the current administration. Citing World Bank reports, she alleged that the government was misrepresenting figures in several areas, including agriculture, poverty, fuel prices, education and health.

She also objected to what she described as unequal tax treatment, saying wealthy industrialists and large businesses had been given relief through a reduction in the super tax, while taxes had been imposed on basic household goods used by poorer families.

Mubeen Arif Jutt said public welfare spending had been reduced even as the government had failed to curb its own expenditure. He alleged that state resources were being used on personal publicity rather than public benefit.

Khawaja Sheraz also criticised the government over sugar policy, saying that despite an excess supply of sugar, imports were allowed to favour sugar mill owners because of their influence. He added that the authorities often cited the IMF when defending inflation, fuel levies and other difficult measures, but ignored the lender’s objections when their own financial interests were involved.

Reaction to Mughalpura case verdict

Separately, PTI condemned the 10-year prison terms handed down to senior party leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mahmoodur Rashid, Ijaz Chaudhry and Umar Sarfraz Cheema in the Mughalpura vehicle burning case linked to the May 9 unrest.

PTI information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram described the ruling as a serious failure of justice, according to the party’s reaction issued after the verdict.