ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday launched a scathing critique of the federal government’s economic and agricultural policies, alleging that the administration had burdened ordinary citizens with higher taxes, curtailed development spending and failed to address the deepening crisis in the farm sector.
Addressing a joint press conference, PTI lawmakers Usama Mela, Khawaja Sheraz Mahmood, Mubeen Arif Jutt and Shandana Gulzar claimed that the government’s budgetary priorities favoured elite interests while placing increasing pressure on farmers and low-income households.
The opposition legislators painted a bleak picture of the country’s economic and agricultural outlook, contending that official statistics did not reflect conditions on the ground.
Mela said the agriculture sector, a key contributor to employment and economic activity, had performed far below official targets. According to him, the government had set a six percent growth target for major crops but achieved only around 0.5 percent to 0.6 percent growth.
He questioned official claims regarding improvements in crop output, citing potato cultivation figures as an example.
He also alleged that cotton cultivation had declined sharply and said the sector had failed to register meaningful growth despite government projections.
Mela further argued that agricultural performance historically weakened during Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) governments, claiming that average sectoral growth during the party’s previous tenure remained subdued.
Speaking on the occasion, Gulzar accused the government of presenting misleading economic indicators and concealing deteriorating living conditions.
Referring to international assessments, she claimed that poverty levels had risen significantly in rural areas in recent years.
She criticised what she described as the government’s spending priorities, noting that debt servicing would consume a substantial portion of federal expenditures while development allocations remained comparatively limited.
The PTI lawmaker also questioned tax policies, alleging that relief measures had disproportionately benefited large industrial groups while indirect taxes on essential goods continued to affect lower-income segments of society.
Sheraz focused on the cotton sector, warning that Pakistan’s output had fallen sharply over the years, increasing reliance on imports and undermining the competitiveness of the domestic textile industry.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
Comments