Ishaq Dar pacifies PPP over budget concerns

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Ishaq Dar on Monday pacified concerns raised by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari over the budget and rehabilitation of flood-affected people in Sindh and Balochistan.

Addressing the National Assembly, Dar said that the government held a detailed and comprehensive meeting on Friday to address PPP concerns.

“The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, Khurshid Shah, Federal Minister Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman and Ahsan Iqbal, where a roadmap has been developed,” he said.

“We will meet today, and this issue will be resolved,” said Dar.

Dar shared that as per comprehensive reports prepared by multilateral lenders including World Bank, Asian Development Bank alongside Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning, Pakistan sustained losses to the tune of $30.3 billion in economic and physical losses due to last year floods.

“Meanwhile, $16.3 billion is needed for housing and infrastructure,” he said.

“Out of $16 billion, roughly $11 billion will be utilised for reconstruction and rehabilitation of Sindh under the 4RF policy. I assure you that there is nothing to worry about, and the issue will be resolved,” he added

Dar said that “once the budget is over” all stakeholders should put their efforts in the development of a charter of economy.

“We need to get out of the current mess. The quagmire is bigger than 1998-99,” he said.

“However, the economic decline has been halted and now we intend to take it towards growth and a positive trajectory,” said Dar.

On Sunday, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Sunday stressed that coalition partners should discuss government decisions in the cabinet instead of criticising them in political rallies.

The differences among the ruling coalition over the federal budget came to the fore on Saturday when the foreign minister indicated that his party would not vote for the budget unless their concerns were addressed.

Bilawal passed these remarks during a rally in the Khwazakhela area of Swat. He said the prime minister had promised to keep funds for the rehabilitation of flood-hit people in the budget, but some members of his team “were not fulfilling those promises”.

He further claimed that the budget presented in Parliament had very little input from the PPP, especially on the issues of climate change and rehabilitation of those affected by floods, for which sufficient funds were not allocated.