PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari lashed out at the PTI government in the National Assembly on Wednesday, saying it was bringing a “tsunami of taxes” through the mini-budget. The government is seeking the approval of the finance supplementary bill, generally known as the mini-budget, while the opposition has vowed to resist it.
The approval of the finance supplementary bill seeking to amend certain laws related to taxes and duties and the State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill 2021 is necessary to ensure that Pakistan’s sixth review of the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility gets cleared by the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive board to take a decision on the disbursement of about $1bn tranche.
Speaking on the floor of the NA, Bilawal said that the burden of the PTI government’s agreement with the IMF would fall on the common man, warning that it would lead to “economic slaughter” across the country.
He also criticised the government over the SBP bill, which was approved by a National Assembly panel on Monday, saying that the IMF had demanded the central bank’s autonomy during the eras of PPP and PML-N as well but neither party had agreed.
He said Leader of the Opposition in the
National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif had talked about a national dialogue on the country’s economy but the government refused because of its “stubbornness”.
“The people of Pakistan can see what happens as a result of your decisions,” the PPP leader said. Bilawal said the government could have used the opposition’s rigidity on the matter to inform the IMF of its inability to accept its demands. “But because of your stubbornness and ego, you took decisions that are a robbery of the common man’s pockets,” he lambasted.
He said the government was presenting a new budget with a new finance minister …..
Source: dawn.com
Saturday, April 18, 2026
