If we look at the budget for the new fiscal year 2023-24, its statistics do not match the ground realities. That is, how will the tax collection of Rs 9.2 trillion be? While the set target could not be achieved last year as well, this year also while the economy is heading toward further deterioration, there are no signs of such tax collection. In the beginning, the collection of $12,000 billion is shown, of which $11,000 billion is the federal government’s own expenses.
This budget was presented in very beautiful words. Apparently, Muslim League (N) is trying to show that it made such a big political sacrifice and took over the destroyed economy of PTI, now it must do something in the name of the budget. well, so that people’s sympathies can be obtained.
When the budget boxes were placed in front of all the parliamentarians, Rakim al-Haruf was thinking that he had received them the night before and 7 beautiful volumes were lying in front of him.
He realized that there was silence in the entire hall. There was no criticism, discussion, or comments which are usually a natural occurrence on the occasion of budget presentation. Obviously reading 7 volumes of budget books is not an easy task. According to the poet:
الفاظ کے مرہم سے شفا دینے چلے ہیں
ان تازہ مسیحاؤں کا انداز تو دیکھو
کچھ اور الجھ جائیں گے دیرینہ مسائل
تقریر کا سلجھا ہوا انداز تو دیکھا
The country’s economy is in a very bad state. Inflation is 48% while the inflation of food items has reached more than 50%. Due to the ban on the export items that are useful for the industries, there was a negative impact on the productivity of the export industries, due to which the workers were made unemployed. The economic growth rate will be 0.29 in which instead of increasing, the wheel of growth can be seen spinning in a negative direction.
The external debt of Pakistan is around $131 billion while internal debt is much more in the form of Rs. The debt-to-GDP ratio rose above 90 percent, which cannot be increased beyond 60 percent as per the Debt Limitation Act. It is beyond understanding how the government will implement the budget. The government did not expect to get a loan from the IMF earlier, if it has now, it cannot be said.
Due to non-relief from the IMF, Pakistan is suffering from the economic crisis. Ishaq Dar repeatedly says that those who predict the country to default should be ashamed, come on, analysts, if they do not say that the country has defaulted, but they ask this question with all the facts and figures in front of them. If relief is not received from the IMF, what is the method of the government to save the country from default?
This year, Pakistan has to give $25 million for debt payments, the government will tell about where this money will come from. The government should make it clear from where the payments will be made, the people will be happy.
The federal government has 43 divisions, 400 affiliated departments, and 65,000 government employees. If the government had managed these expenses better after the 18th amendment, billions of rupees could have been saved, but the government did not even bother to cut costs, while the IMF is also saying to reduce its expenses. , but the government did not pay attention to it and how could it? Because the government that bears this budget maybe someone else.
The highest inflation in the country’s history took place during the current government period, which has beaten even the Imran Khan era. The main purpose of giving the budget was that the government does not have to suffer the wrath of the people due to the worst inflation in the upcoming election and people, looking at the concessions given in the budget, have to attack the PDM leaders.
Will the government conduct the election on time? There are mixed signals on this from both the government and Asif Zardari. Former President Asif Zardari said that when he wants, the election will be held, but he did not say that the election will be held very soon and when will it be held. The former President wishes that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari somehow becomes the Prime Minister and the way he is being trained, there is nothing wrong with him even if he goes ahead and becomes the Prime Minister. PML-N is also planning to bring its own prime minister. Nawaz Sharif also wants to make Maryam Nawaz the Prime Minister and there is nothing wrong with that because hereditary politics has become the norm in our country.
Under the current PDM government, Muslim League (N) has invested a lot of political capital. As far as the stability of Jahangir Tareen’s Pakistan Party is concerned, there are political leaders in it who can go to the assemblies after winning the election, who are called electable, but the political workers still do not seem to support Jahangir Tareen and Nor can one hope for much.
Before the era of PTI, Jahangir Tarin was bringing in boatloads of people to make Imran Khan the Prime Minister, it is also known to the people. There were many other things in these ships that people were blessed with. These were the same people who were recruited into PTI and now they are being brought back to IPP (Instability of Pakistan Party).
These are flying feathers and everyone is saying that they have the votes. It will be known at the time of the election who will actually be elected by the people. Prior to this, the federal government was the loincloth of a fugitive thief.
