KARACHI: A business leader and provincial convener of the Awam Pakistan Party Balochistan, Syed Aman Shah, has strongly criticized the budget, describing it as contrary to people’s expectations and country’s economic needs.
He said that the budget had failed to provide hope or meaningful relief to the people burdened by soaring inflation, unemployment, and economic hardships.
Syed Aman Shah said that instead of offering genuine relief to ordinary people, government employees, workers, farmers, pensioners, and small traders, the budget merely presented statistical figures without addressing real challenges faced by the people.
He further stated that the continuous rise in the prices of essential commodities, electricity, gas, medicines, education, and transportation had made life increasingly difficult for the people.
However, the budget lacked any clear and effective strategy to address those pressing issues. The increase in salaries and pensions for government employees had been far below the current inflation rate and would not significantly improve the financial condition of middle- and low-income families.
Syed Aman Shah also pointed out that despite Balochistan being rich in natural resources, it continued to suffer from long-standing deprivation.
The budget did not include adequate measures for the development of the province’s infrastructure, highways, education, healthcare, water resources, agriculture, or employment opportunities for the youth. He said the people of Balochistan were once again being offered promises and announcements instead of practical development initiatives.
He said that the federal government should have introduced concrete measures to facilitate small and medium-sized businesses, encourage investment and provide affordable energy to industries in order to stimulate economic growth and create employment opportunities. Instead, he warned that the increased tax burden could further discourage business activity and slow economic progress.
Syed Aman Shah said that Pakistan had been currently facing serious economic challenges, and under such circumstances, the country needed a people-friendly, business-friendly and growth-oriented budget. Unfortunately, the budget presented appeared to be a collection of official claims and formal announcements rather than a practical roadmap for solving the nation’s economic problems.
He urged the federal government to review the budget and introduce meaningful measures to control inflation, generate employment, provide real relief to the salaried class, revive agriculture and industry, and ensure the development of Balochistan and other underdeveloped regions so that the people could be relieved from their growing economic difficulties.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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