Aurangzeb says Finance Bill to incorporate key parliamentary recommendations
- Dismisses opposition's criticism of federal budget
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb defended the federal budget, dismissing opposition criticism as misinterpretation and highlighting transparent processes, positive economic indicators, and support for agriculture.
- Minister's defense of the federal budget's transparency.
- Positive economic indicators and significant revenue growth.
- Government support for the agriculture sector and small farmers.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Saturday said the standing committees had reviewed budget proposals and submitted recommendations, some of which would be incorporated into the Finance Bill 2026.
He also dismissed the opposition’s criticism of the federal budget, stating that claims of discrepancies in budget documents stemmed from an “incorrect interpretation” of the figures.
Concluding the budget debate in the National Assembly, Aurangzeb said key economic indicators, including GDP data, had been presented before the National Accounts Committee, which comprises representatives of the provinces, the federal government and relevant institutions. While acknowledging that some lawmakers had raised concerns over the budget, he maintained that the entire process had been conducted transparently.
“We have received clear feedback from inside the parliament and outside it that this is a positive and pro-growth budget, which sets the foundation to accelerate the sustainable growth witnessed over the last few years,” he said.
The minister thanked parliamentarians for their participation in the debate, including Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Saleem Mandviwala and National Assembly Finance Committee Chairman Naveed Qamar.
Highlighting the government’s economic performance, Aurangzeb said industrial activity was progressing smoothly, the current account remained in surplus, exports were on an upward trajectory and IT exports had grown by 20%. He also claimed that the government had generated an additional $14 billion in revenue over the past two years, describing it as the highest increase since 1988.
Referring to agriculture as the backbone of the economy, the finance minister said the government had earmarked Rs300 billion in interest-free loans for small farmers, a programme expected to benefit around 750,000 growers. He added that the economic direction set by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the previous budget had played a key role in stabilising the economy.
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