The National Assembly resumed its session at the Parliament House in Islamabad on Monday with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the chair. The National Assembly continued discussion on the recommendations forwarded by the Senate on the budget for the next financial year. Participating in the budget discussion, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, said that his party will support the federal budget for the next financial year. 

He said his party was consulted on the budget this time and some of its inputs have been incorporated in the budget. He was appreciative of the government for expressing consent to PPP’s recommendations including leaving digital tax on services to the jurisdiction of the provinces and reducing sales tax on solar panels to ten percent from eighteen percent.Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed satisfaction over improvement in economic indicators, especially reduction in inflation as a result of government’s policies. 

He commended twenty percent increase in the budget of Benazir Income Support Program.  He demanded declaration of agriculture emergency saying that it will provide relief to the farmers and protect the economy’s backbone.Bilawal Bhutto Zardari mentioned that the defence budget has been enhanced by twenty percent in view of India’s hostile posture. He said Pakistan has once again internationalized the Kashmir dispute.

Referring to the visit of a high-level delegation led by him to various capitals, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan has defeated India on the battlefield, as well as on the diplomatic and narrative fronts. He said we presented Pakistan’s stance and narrative based on peace.He said India has only two options: either to comply with the Indus Water Treaty or Pakistan will wage a war to secure water from all the six rivers. The PPP Chairman condemned attacks on Iran by Israel and the United States. He said Israeli aggression across the region must be stopped.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)