PPP Dr Shazia Sobia Terms Budget Public Unfriendly
Nadeem Tanoli
Islamabad: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro has criticized the federal budget for FY2026-27, describing it as “public unfriendly” and inadequate in addressing the challenges of inflation, unemployment, poverty and economic hardship faced by ordinary citizens.
Speaking during the budget debate in the National Assembly, Dr Shazia said the public had expected a budget focused on reducing economic difficulties, creating jobs and supporting growth, but key sectors such as agriculture, health, education and youth development had not received sufficient attention.
Highlighting the importance of youth, she said Pakistan’s young population is its greatest asset, yet the budget lacks meaningful investment in employment generation, skills development, entrepreneurship and technology.
She warned that without proper opportunities, young people would be unable to contribute fully to national development.
Turning to agriculture, Dr Shazia described the sector as the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and called for subsidies on urea, DAP fertilizer, pesticides, diesel and electricity to support farmers.
She stressed that timely water availability is essential for agricultural productivity and demanded that Sindh and Balochistan receive their constitutional share of water under the Water Accord.
She expressed concern over water shortages in Sindh, saying delayed water releases had adversely affected rice cultivation and caused significant hardship for farmers. Citing findings from the Pakistan Economic Survey, she noted a decline in the cultivation and consumption of wheat, rice and pulses and questioned the country’s growing dependence on food imports.
On education, the PPP lawmaker said more than 26 million children remain out of school, with girls accounting for the largest share. She urged the government to adopt a long-term strategy to bring children back into classrooms and criticized the budget for failing to prioritize education.
Dr Shazia also raised alarm over the increasing availability of drugs in educational institutions and called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to formulate a comprehensive policy to protect students from narcotics.
Addressing healthcare challenges, she said Pakistan spends only around one percent of its GDP on health despite international recommendations of five percent. Referring to high maternal and infant mortality rates in rural areas, she called for increased investment in healthcare and stronger national programs targeting HIV/AIDS, polio, hepatitis C and diabetes.
She also urged the federal government to expedite work on the long-delayed Polyclinic Extension Hospital project in Islamabad.
Defending the performance of the Sindh government in the health sector, Dr. Shazia highlighted initiatives including the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Basic Health Units and Rural Health Centres.
She said the province had established a network of cardiovascular hospitals and chest pain units providing healthcare services across Sindh.
Criticizing the taxation measures in the budget, she said the salaried class had been subjected to an unfair burden through various levies and taxes. She strongly opposed a proposed 40 percent tax on children’s award money, calling the move unjust and discouraging.
Instead, she suggested imposing higher taxes on tobacco and nicotine products, sugary beverages and processed foods that negatively impact public health.
The MNA also highlighted persistent gas and electricity load-shedding in her constituency, Pano Aqil, saying residents continue to suffer prolonged outages even during extreme temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius. She called for urgent intervention by the relevant authorities to address the issue.
At the outset of her speech, Dr Shazia congratulated the people of Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for their leadership during a sensitive period. She said Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts helped promote regional peace and enhanced the country’s international standing.
She also praised PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari for their role in strengthening democracy and welcomed the increase in allocations for the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) from Rs838 billion to Rs857 billion.
Concluding her speech, Dr Shazia said all policy decisions should be guided by the objective of strengthening Pakistan and improving the lives of its people.
“Every decision must be made for the betterment of Pakistan. Our goal should be a strong, stable and prosperous country,” she said.
