ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has rejected the opposition’s objections to the federal budget, saying that allegations of discrepancies in budget documents were based on “incorrect interpretation”.
While wrapping up the days-long budget debate in the National Assembly on Saturday, the finance czar said that the GDP and other key economic indicators were presented before the National Accounts Committee, which includes representation from all provinces, the federal government, and relevant institutions.
He said some parliamentarians had expressed reservations over the budget, but added that the overall process was conducted transparently.
Aurangzeb thanked lawmakers for their participation in the budget debate, including Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, as well as Finance Committee heads Saleem Mandviwala and Naveed Qamar in the Senate and National Assembly, respectively.
He said the standing committees had reviewed budget proposals “with sincerity” and forwarded recommendations for improvement, some of which would be incorporated into the Finance Bill 2026.
The finance minister also presented a positive outlook on the economy, stating that industries were operating smoothly, the current account was in surplus, export performance was improving, and IT exports had increased by 20%.
He added that the government has collected $14 billion in additional revenue over the past two years, calling it a record since 1988.
Referring to the agriculture sector, he said it is the backbone of the economy, and the government is providing Rs300 billion in interest-free loans to small farmers. He added that around 750,000 small farmers would benefit from this initiative
According to the federal minister, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had set the economic direction in the previous budget, which had helped stabilise the economy.