Mocking at Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government’s claim of providing relief to the masses in the national budget for the financial year (FY) 2021-22, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday that on hand the government had announced that a labourer would get Rs20, 000 every month while in the same breath it had levied the taxes of Rs700 billion, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

In a statement, he said he wondered that still the present government had the cheek to tell people that the country was progressing. “17 per cent reduction in the common man’s income and 25 per cent hike in the prices of food items just in the last one year is the real face of the government’s much-trumpeted ‘Tabdeeli’ (change),” he commented.

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Bilawal said it was strange that in a country where one out of every three children was suffering from malnutrition, ‘selected’ Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government had levied 17 percent sales tax on milk and allied products. “This 17 per cent sales tax amounts to the murder of our children,” he remarked.

PPP chairman told PM Imran that hike in the prices of petrol, electricity, flour and other items of daily use following the announcement of the budget would lead to such a backlash from the people that it would be impossible for him to stop it.

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He accused the government of stifling the opposition only to hide the facts of what he called ‘anti-people’ budget from the masses.

He cautioned the prime minister not to remain in the illusion that he would evade accountability by asking his ministers and MNAs to call opposition the names. “We will continue to make public each and every detail of the money bill,” Bilawal concluded.