Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, announced his party’s support for the federal budget during a speech in the National Assembly on Monday. He acknowledged the government’s efforts, especially the 20% increase in the defense budget, which he said was necessary due to national security challenges. “Pakistan must be prepared for war,” he remarked.
Bilawal thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for engaging PPP during budget planning. He welcomed the increase in salaries and pensions, calling it a positive step. However, he also pointed out that several of the PPP’s budget demands were not fulfilled.
Among the unmet demands, Bilawal highlighted the need for Southern Punjab to receive 30% of Punjab’s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) share. He said the finance minister promised to revisit this demand in the next budget. He also urged the federal government to provide greater financial support to Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, noting that these provinces suffer most from terrorism.
Bilawal expressed deep concern over regional threats, accusing India of funding terrorism in Balochistan and KP. He stressed the need to build a strong national strategy to defeat terrorism and protect vulnerable areas.
He also raised alarm over the state of agriculture, stating that farmers are facing economic devastation. He demanded that the government declare an agricultural emergency to address the crisis and save rural livelihoods.