ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Finance Aisha Ghaus Pasha told the Senate on Friday that the government will soon announce austerity measures to reduce the expenditures.
She said the cabinet members belonging to the PML-N have already announced not to withdraw their salaries. She said the government is working to steer the country out of crises. She said we will have to take structural reforms and tough decisions to put the country on the path of stability. He said there should not be any politics on it.
The Minister of State clarified that enhancement of power and gas tariff will not apply on the consumers using less energy. She said the government has also enhanced the budget of Benazir Income Support Program by forty billion rupees with the aim to provide relief to the downtrodden segments of the society.
She said we also want to work in tandem with the provincial governments to extend relief to the poor class. Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said it was the PTI government which signed agreement with IMF. He said PTI government is responsible for economic crisis in the country. The Minister asked the opposition to act maturely and work with the government for the development of the country.
Senator Mushtaq Ahmed in his remarks termed mini budget as a black document and criticized the government for imposing tax on gas, electricity and other necessary items. He said poor people are unable to survive in growing prices of essential commodities.
He suggested that the government should do away with protocol culture and resources should be diverted for the people of the country. Senator Muhammad Tahir Bizenjo called for joint efforts to deal with the economic crisis. He said the government should take austerity measures.
Taking the floor of the House, Senator Mohsin Aziz said the government is paying no attention to economic challenges. He asked the government to control smuggling. Kamil Ali Agha termed the supplementary bill 2023 as anti-poor. Hidayatullah Khan said that prices of all essential items are getting out of reach of the poor people. He said imposing tax on cement will affect the construction sector.
The Senate on Friday discussed the Finance Supplementary Bill 2023. Participating in the debate, Leader of the Opposition Dr Shahzad Waseem demanded of the government to withdraw the Supplementary Finance Bill saying that it will add to the woes of the common man.
He said today inflation is already at the highest level of the history of the country. He said despite the financial crisis, the government is spending money on luxuries. The Leader of the Opposition said salaried people are suffering from price hike. He said even today Imran Khan is the only hope for the masses. The House has now been adjourned to meet again on Monday at 11:00 am.