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By Asim Shahzad
LAHORE: The opposition leader in Punjab Assembly has termed the Budget 2024-25 as a deficit budget of Rs803 billion, dismantling the government’s claim of presenting a surplus budget.
On Thursday, the debate on the Punjab Budget 2024-25 was initiated in the Punjab Assembly.
The opposition leader called the budget a hoax of words. Opposition leader Ahmed Khan Batcher said so many taxes were imposed silently in budget.
The government members criticised the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a member of the government, Shaukat Raja said the PTI leader had not said the PTI founder had taken an ambulance from America the very next day after saying ‘absolutely not’.
Other government members said Maryam Nawaz allocated the budget for every sector in the real sense, opposition and government members Junaid Afzal Sahi, Ahmed Saeed Qazi, Ashfa Riaz Fatiana, Pir Ashraf Rasool, Ali Imtiaz Waraich, Nasir China, Rana Manwar Ghos, Sajjad Waraich, Immunial Masih, Sheikh Imtiaz and other members raised the important points of the budget in the House. They also highlighted the problems of their constituencies.
The government benches depicted a large-scale absence of the members in the assembly.
The debate on the budget will continue on Friday.[:]