PESHAWAR; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Adviser on Finance, Muzammil Aslam, launched a strong critique of the federal government’s economic and agricultural policies during a press conference on Thursday.
He noted that the current coalition government has been in power for three and a half years, the same duration that the PTI founder’s government had. “Back then, the PTI government was allowed to operate in an open ground. But today, the current rulers face a second wave of floods, yet Pakistan’s behavior has not changed in 78 years,” he said.
Muzammil Aslam questioned the government’s reliance on foreign aid, recalling that during the 2005 earthquake, Pakistan sought help from around the world. “Why can’t we stand on our own? We don’t need aid, we need trade,” he insisted.
He criticized the distribution of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) funds, stating that Punjab receives 4.6 million beneficiaries, Sindh 2.6 million, KP 1.9 million with Rs72 billion allocated, and Balochistan 500,000 with Rs18 billion.
“Declaring an agriculture emergency won’t help. For four years agriculture has been destroyed — wheat and flour crises have emerged, fertilizers are expensive, and fertile land has been converted into housing societies,” he added.
Citing economist Hafeez Pasha, Aslam warned that Pakistan’s growth rate could fall to zero this year. He further cautioned that following the floods, nearly 50% of Pakistan’s population, around 125 million people, could fall below the poverty line, “equivalent to the entire population of the world’s 13th most populous country.”
He also noted that Pakistan’s debt has now reached Rs80 trillion, with national debt doubling over the last three years.
