Addressing a public gathering in Swat on Saturday, Bilawal — the PPP chairman — said no funds were allocated for the rehabilitation of 2022 flood victims in the 2023-24 federal budget presented by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar last week.
Unprecedented flash floods caused by historic monsoon rains killed at least 1,000 people and affected more than 33 million mainly in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in 2022.
“Peoples Party sent its high-level delegation to the prime minister yesterday to [raise concerns] that PPP has very little input in the budget,” he added.
Bilawal said the federal government had made promises to the provincial governments last year that it would help the flood victims.
“I was surprised to know that no funds were allocated for any province for flood reconstruction,” he added
Bilawal said he had directed his party members to apprise the prime minister of PPP’s concerns regarding budget saying that the rehabilitation of flood victims was inevitable for economic growth.
“I have no doubt on prime minister’s intention…but members of his [PM Shehbaz Sharif] team are not fulfilling their promises and prime minister should hold them answerable,” he remarked.
“If Muslim League wants PPP to vote for this budget then its’ not possible without allocating funds for flood reconstruction,” the PPP chief cautioned.
The PPP chairman also expressed hope that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and other members of government’s economic team would soon address the party’s reservations over the budget.