Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Ishaq Dar on Monday assuaged Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s concerns over the budget and flood relief in Sindh and Balochistan.
Dar told the National Assembly that the administration convened a comprehensive discussion on Friday to address PPP concerns.
“A roadmap was developed at the meeting attended by Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, Khurshid Shah, Federal Minister Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman, and Ahsan Iqbal,” he stated.
“We’ll meet today, and this issue will be resolved,” Dar promised.
Dar stated that according to extensive analyses compiled by multilateral lenders such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, as well as Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning, Pakistan suffered economic and physical losses totaling $30.3 billion as a result of last year’s floods.
“Meanwhile, $16.3 billion is needed for housing and infrastructure,” he explained.
“Under the 4RF policy, approximately $11 billion will be used for Sindh reconstruction and rehabilitation.” “I assure you that there is nothing to be concerned about, and that the problem will be resolved,” he continued.
Dar stated that “once the budget is over,” all stakeholders should focus their efforts on developing an economic charter.
“We need to get out of this mess.” “The mess is bigger than in 1998-99,” he remarked.
“However, the economic decline has been halted, and we now intend to take it towards growth and a positive trajectory,” Dar stated.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal urged on Sunday that coalition partners should review government choices in cabinet rather than denouncing them at political rallies.
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On Saturday, the foreign minister said his party would not vote for the budget until their concerns were addressed.
Bilawal made these remarks at a rally in Swat’s Khwazakhela district. He claimed that the prime minister promised to preserve cash for flood-damaged families in the budget, but that some members of his team “were not fulfilling those promises.”
He further alleged that the PPP had very little input into the budget presented in Parliament, particularly on climate change and flood rehabilitation, for which insufficient funds were allotted.
