ISLAMABAD: The dissidents of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – who often blamed the then prime minister Imran Khan for the skyrocketing inflation in the past – blasted the coalition government on Wednesday for the ‘mini-budget’, saying it is nothing but meant to facilitate the “richy rich of the poorly poor nation”.

Speaking in the National Assembly soon after the ‘mini-budget’ was presented in the house by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, the PTI dissident, Noor Alam Khan, declared that he would not vote on the bill as it is anti-poor.

The PTI dissident who was rewarded with Public Account Committee (PAC) chairmanship after he voted against the then prime minister Imran Khan in the no-confidence vote in April last year, said that the country’s economy has been dwindling for the last several decades, but the two finance ministers did reach the pinnacle of success as they became owners of the banks.

He continued that the poor man was given no relief in the mini-budget as it was meant to facilitate the industrialists, adding if the rulers had been concerned about the poor, they would have taxed the rich.

“It’s not easy to make ends meet with a big family, but somehow the rulers still don’t care for the poor who could not even afford two-time meal. The common man is crushed under heavy taxes while the rich are facilitated,” he lamented.

He demanded that free electricity to officers of power sector should be withdrawn immediately besides curtailing the perks and privileges to ‘baboos’ enjoying at the taxpayers’ money.

He also came down hard on the officials of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) dubbing them as “tax stealers”, saying these tax collectors are the main culprits who need to be taken to task.

Khan also demanded the government to present the agreements – done or being done with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by PTI and the incumbent government – before the parliament.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023