PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has termed the budget 2021-22 an NRO for the rich , saying the government has provide no relief to the poor in the budget, reported 24News HD TV channel on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference at Bilawal House Islamabad, the PPP chairman criticised the government for passing the budget without providing the opposition with right to debate. He called the budget illegitimate and said that the PM gave an alternative view of the economy in his address in the National Assembly. He said the masses were facing difficulties. “The people do not want to listen about Scandinavia and the history but they want to listen about what is happening in Lahore, Multan, Karachi and rest of Pakistan. You (the PM) should have talked about what was your performance during the last three years instead of what will you do in the future. You do not have enough time now,” he said and added, “You are asking Pakistani diaspora to come back. But, for that, you need to create a better situation here first.”

Bilawal said the PM talked a lot about the poor people and to give them relief but, in this document (the budget books), the reality was contrary to this.

Tax amnesty scheme is for rich people and relief to the construction industry is for developers. You are giving benefits to the rich people but talking about the poor, he said and questioned what this hypocrisy is?

Bilawal said that the people were tired of your (the PM) talks, about NRO and other things. He said the people asked you why poverty had gone up and why the prices had gone up. He said, “You always talk about farmers but you are not giving them any relief. You put the burden on the poor and give relief to the rich people.

He said, “Khan sahib you will not get tax because people do not trust you. If you want to collect tax then we need to develop the trust of the people in the state.”

“You have given free hand to the FBR but you cannot collect tax like this. We, in Sindh, outperformed in tax collection not only to the other provinces but the federal government as well,” the PPP chairman said.

He further said, on one hand, the PM talked about sovereignty and on the other hand he only signed on the order of the IMF.  

He said the NA speaker snatched the basic right of talking in the assembly. He said the leader of the opposition was questionable.

He said, “The PPP had tried to run the country in a democratic way and did many things despite we did not have two-third majority in the house.”

It’s the basic responsibility of the government and the speaker to listen to all the members in a political way. If the NA runs in the political way then the issues of the country will be solved, he added.

Responding to a question, he said the government was not serious about the electoral reforms, saying “Your reforms are for not stopping the rigging but to enhance it. If there will be any reforms, they should be unanimous.”