PPP Launches Nationwide Protest Drive Against ‘Elite-Centric’ Budget
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has rejected the federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year, announcing a countrywide protest movement against what it describes as an “elite-centric” financial framework that excludes the working class and underprivileged.
At a press conference on Thursday, PPP People’s Labour Bureau chief Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmad criticized the budget, claiming it offers relief exclusively to the wealthy while placing a heavier burden on ordinary citizens.
“The rich have made a budget for the rich. There is nothing in it for the common man,” said Ahmad. “Every section of the elite has received financial relief, while the burden continues to fall on the underprivileged.”
Protests Planned Ahead of Budget Approval
Ahmad announced that the party has begun reaching out to labor unions nationwide to gather momentum for a series of demonstrations. These protests, scheduled to occur across all provinces, will take place prior to the National Assembly’s vote on the budget.
“The government’s economic policy is anti-people. We will resist it on all fronts,” he said. “The responsibility of any political instability will rest with the rulers.”
Criticism of Salary Hikes and Pension Cuts
The PPP leader also condemned the increase in salaries for top government officials, including cabinet members, parliamentarians, and heads of constitutional bodies, calling the raises a “financial obscenity.”
“The speaker and chairman have received a massive hike in salaries, while the labourers are told that their raise must align with the inflation rate,” he stated. “Is this not economic injustice?”
Ahmad further slammed a reported proposal to limit pensions for government employees to 10 years after retirement, calling it a “cruel and inhuman decision.”
Warning of Rising Inequality
Highlighting broader economic concerns, Ahmad cited recent World Bank warnings about escalating poverty in Pakistan and emphasized the government’s failure to support distressed farmers and struggling workers.
“The World Bank is warning about rising poverty, our farmers are in distress, yet this government continues to serve only the elite,” he concluded.
The PPP’s protest initiative signals a sharp escalation in political opposition ahead of the federal budget’s passage, with the party vowing to resist what it perceives as systemic economic injustice.
