Saif criticizes the government for raising oil prices.
Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Information Advisor, harshly criticized the federal and Punjab governments’ budgets on Tuesday, saying that the public has been given a “petrol bomb” even before the new fiscal year has begun. He cautioned that a new wave of inflation will be brought on by the rise in the price of petroleum products.
According to Saif, the new 2.5% tax on petroleum items levied by the federal government will immediately increase expenditures for the average person. He pointed out that the price of gasoline and other goods is anticipated to skyrocket as the new fiscal year gets underway.
He went on to say that every increase in the price of gasoline raises the price of all necessary food items, making the situation of the impoverished even worse. He called the federal budget “pro-rich and anti-poor.”
Saif added that public issues have been totally disregarded in the Punjab government’s budget. He pointed out that Punjab’s agriculture industry was completely disregarded and that struggling farmers were not given any assistance. As a result of the policies of what he called a “fake government,” Punjabi farmers had lost Rs. 2,200 billion.
He added that the Punjab government has once again failed to provide free healthcare facilities like those in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and has only given commission-based projects priority.
Additionally, he promised assistance, stating that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration is prepared to work with Punjab if it encounters challenges in providing healthcare services. According to him, the KP administration, led by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, has prioritized public welfare and included a number of social welfare projects in its budget, in line with the goals of Imran Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
