Omar Ayub assails budget presented for FY 2024-25 as ‘economic terrorism’ against the people as debate opened on the finance bill

ISLAMABAD, June 20 (SABAH): Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Omar Ayub Khan on Thursday assailed the budget presented for fiscal year (FY) 2024-25 as “economic terrorism” against the people as debate opened on the finance bill.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented his first federal budget with a total outlay of Rs18.9 trillion last week. The budget for the upcoming year aims for a modest 3.6 per cent GDP growth, and sets an ambitious Rs13tr tax collection target, raising taxes on salaried classes and removing tax exemptions for the rest.

Debate on the budget formally opened on Thursday in the NA after the Eidul Azha holidays with its passage planned for June 24. Omar Ayub Khan opened the debate with vociferous criticism of the budget.

His speech was muted several times as he lamented the alleged interference of the establishment.

“This budget is the story that began with vote ko izzat do (respect the vote) and ended with boot ko izzat do (respect the boot),” Omar Ayub said while criticising the government.

“The budget is a fraud with the people. This is a highway robbery against the people of Pakistan. This budget in actuality is economic terrorism against the people and the future of the country,” he added.

Omar Ayub alleged that the budget was made with the help of “economic hitmen who want to shake the foundation of this country”.

He further claimed that these same “economic hitmen” were also involved in the PTI’s ouster from power in April 2022.

Omar Ayub said investors would not trust the economy to invest in a country where there was “no rule of law”, adding that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had clearly instructed the government to talk to other stakeholders.

The finance minister is a very professional man but his wings were clipped,” Ayub said, alleging that the government was trying to undermine Aurangzeb such as removing him from the chairmanship of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).

“Aurangzeb sahib’s heart must have sunk,” he said. “The ECNEC chairmanship was taken away by the prime minister and his wingman […] entered and his name is Senator Ishaq Dar. Family concern, family business, private limited,” Omar Ayub added.

“Aurangzeb is smiling right now but he must be thinking that I will talk to Omar Ayub later because I have said the right things.”

“If you look at the people who Aurangzeb is associated with, if you look at their biography, each one of them is a known gangster,” he said.

The word gangster was expunged by NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.

The opposition leader also questioned whether the members of the PPP owned the budget.

“Would you vote for it with the government or not,” he said, adding that only a few people from the PPP participated in the budget presentation.

“And if they are not with them then the government would be slaughtered. They do not have it in them to run the government,” he said.

“The budget won’t be passed. An illegal, anti-people budget cannot work.”

Omar Ayub added that everyone was saying the budget was “a constrained budget under the long shadow of IMF stipulations,” adding that the government did not put any room to manoeuvre for itself.

“They dug a grave for themselves, laid in it by themselves and are now asking to be saved,” he said, adding that only PTI founder Imran Khan could save the economy.

He said the nation stood behind the former premier and would go through hard times for him, however, the same could not be said for the current government.

The opposition also harshly came down on Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal’s comments about the government intending to keep Imran in jail for its five-year term till 2029, warning that there would be a “reaction” to the remarks.

On Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s announcement that he would eliminate corruption from the country, Omar Ayub laughed off his statement, saying: “The pot calling the kettle black.” He said PM Shehbaz, despite being implicated in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases, pledged to rid the country of corruption.

Omar Ayub said those involved in the “corruption cases cannot eliminate corruption from the country”.

“Charity begins at home. Start [accountability] charity from Hudaibiya Paper Mills, London flats and Sugar mills,” he said referring to the references filed against the Sharif family in the past.

“This government is of and for the corrupt people. This government is based on corruption,” the opposition leader said, reiterating allegations that his party’s mandate was stolen in the February 8 elections.

Omar Ayub termed the budget documents as illegal.

“We couldn’t run our election campaigns due to the crackdown of police,” said the opposition leader and added that the cases under the sections of terrorism are being registered against the PTI workers even today. We are the real heroes of Form-45 as people gave us the mandate, he added.

According to opposition leader, the economy of the country was destabilised in result of the no-trust motion that was moved to oust the government of Imran Khan. The opposition leader said that the government has dug a grave for itself through this budget.

Omar Ayub urged the government to focus on strengthening the economy and creating job opportunities for the people. He called for relief measures to address the impact of inflation on the populace.

Highlighting the importance of peace and tranquility, the Opposition Leader said the dream to bring investment to the country will remain elusive without upholding rule of law.

Meanwhile speaking at a Senate session, PTI lawmaker Barrister Syed Ali Zafar said the budget for the next fiscal year cannot deliver amid political polarisation in the country.

“This budget cannot work until the stolen mandate is returned,” he said, holding the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) responsible for the prevailing political crisis.

“The budget has been imposed upon the people due to ECP, hence I challenge the legitimacy of this budget.”

The PTI senator also made a spooky prediction that the tax-heavy budget could bring “revolution” in the country.

Citing examples of unrest caused by heavy taxation, Senator Zafar said people torched the parliament in the UK against the imposition of heavy taxes by the king.

“Likewise, revolutions in the US and France were also triggered by the taxes. If all proposed taxes in the budget are approved then the revolution in the country would come soon,” he claimed.