Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif on Monday ‘attacked’ the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, accusing it of deceiving masses by disclosing ‘fake’ numbers in the national budget.

He was speaking on the federal budget issued by the government a few days ago, saying that the poor were suffering from poverty while the government claimed it was on the path to economic growth and prosperity.

“If the country has seen growth, has only the elite and those residing in the palaces of Bani Gala availed that prosperity,” the opposition leader asked amid ruckus from the treasury benches.

He said that poor people were starving to death in the country. Taking a jibe at the prime minister, he said that he wished those who gave examples of Riyasat-e-Madinah would pay heed to the dismal affairs of the widows, orphans and the destitute.

Along with Shehbaz Sharif, the opposition members thumped their desks as PMLN leader Mian Javed Latif attended the session for the first time since securing bail in a case filed against him for allegedly inciting people against security institutions.

PPP leader Senator Sherry Reman said that her party had reservations over the government’s plans to hike the price of petroleum products. She said that it was a joint plan of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and the federal government.

“Explain the intention behind proposing an increase in petrol prices only three days after presenting the budget,” she asked. The government had dropped a petrol bomb on the people to overcome the petrol levy crisis, she said, adding that the people were already reeling from the inflation, and the government had ‘gifted’ them with an additional hike in petroleum prices.

SENATE’S OPP LEADER

Senate’s opposition leader Yousaf Raza Gilani said that during his tenure, the government had empowered Gilgit-Baltistan through establishing a government of elected representatives there. “When we pitched the idea of South Punjab, we were termed as insincere,” he said, adding that PPP had passed the resolution in the Punjab Assembly to establish South Punjab.

He called on the incumbent government to fulfill its promises in establishing South Punjab province, as PPP had called for the creation of a province, and not a mere secretariat. He slammed the government for testing tear gas on the government employees’ protest and demanded that their salaries be increased in proportion to the inflation.