Joint opposition rejects anti-poor federal budget.

ISLAMABAD: The opposition parties have said that the Federal Budget 2020-21 has failed on every account to address adequately the challenges to Pakistan posed by a global pandemic, rampant inflation, endemic unemployment, collapsing industry, shrinking agriculture, a deadly locust invasion, and ongoing global economic shocks.

In a joint statement issued from Sindh House Islamabad on Sunday by Leader of the Opposition and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan National Party (BNP), National Party and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), they said Imran Khan's government has failed miserably in providing relief to Pakistanis when they need it most. The Budget fails to provide for protecting the lives, economic future, and livelihoods of the Pakistani people.

They said, unprecedented challenges merit an unprecedented response. "This Budget is nowhere close to that. We, the members of the Joint Opposition in Pakistan, have deliberated over the Budget at length and hereby reject the Budget unanimously and unequivocally."

The joint statement said that the Imran Khan Government has presented a budget that is devoid of any good news for the people of Pakistan. "As was the case last year, the fiscal numbers presented are not in the least credible. The obvious deception in the budget has started unravelling very quickly under the scrutiny of the opposition. The fears of the people have been proven correct even before the "no new tax" budget has been voted on. The massive and oppressive increase in petrol prices has laid bare the fact that a series of real mini-budgets will start appearing almost every month. How many more tax bombs is the PTI Government going to kill us with?

"Pakistan is going through a grave fiscal crisis. The debt increased in the short period of two years by this incompetent Government is more than the debt increased by either PPP or PMLN in their 5 year tenure. The record high deficits incurred by IK Government in both its years are more than any deficit ever incurred by PPP or PMLN. These unprecedented deficits and debt, combined with a shrinking GDP, both in rupee and dollars, paint a very grave picture and put the future of our children in jeopardy. The economic damage inflicted by this direction-less Government, its incompetent leadership and their...