A Pakistan Peoples Party woman lawmaker turned the National Assembly into a charged arena with a long, detailed and emotive address on the Federal Budget 2026, criticizing the government’s economic direction and calling for immediate relief for ordinary citizens. She opened by thanking Allah for the opportunity to represent the people of her constituency and praised her party leadership for strengthening women’s political participation.
The MP said the budget’s declared inflation rate of 8.2 percent did not reflect realities on the ground, where rising electricity and gas bills, heavy petroleum levies and surging food prices have pushed basic goods out of reach for many households. She argued that when fuel becomes expensive, transport fares climb, agricultural input costs rise and the whole economy feels the pressure, with the burden falling hardest on the poor.
Highlighting the plight of low-income groups, she warned that workers, daily-wage earners, small employees, pensioners, small farmers and unemployed youth have been largely ignored in the new budget. She called the proposed ten percent increase in minimum wages inadequate when inflation is eroding purchasing power and pleaded for direct, targeted relief measures for vulnerable families.
The MP expressed deep concern about growing poverty, citing recent figures that put national poverty near 28.9 percent, with urban poverty at about 17.4 percent and rural poverty at 36.2 percent. She said these numbers show the crisis is most acute among rural populations, farmers and low-income households who are struggling to survive.
Youth unemployment was another central theme of her remarks. She warned that educated young people are increasingly disillusioned, with skilled workers unable to find opportunities and nearly eight hundred thousand Pakistanis leaving for foreign jobs in the last year alone. She urged the government to roll out focused IT programs, skill development and technical education along with special loan packages to harness the potential of young people.
On women’s issues she noted that Pakistani women play key roles in agriculture, education, health and household economies, yet lack equal opportunities. She demanded dedicated development funds for women, easier access to small loans, expanded skills programs and stronger protection measures to empower women across rural and urban areas.
The MP made the water crisis in Sindh the highlight of her speech, calling it a life and death issue for millions. She insisted that Sindh’s share of water is a constitutional right, not a favor, and urged an end to the injustices at the Resource Allocation and Distribution Authority. She warned that the Indus delta, fisheries and rural livelihoods are under immediate threat from reduced water flows.
Farmers’ distress drew sharp criticism as she detailed how water shortages, expensive fertilizers and pesticides, rising diesel prices and poor market access are undermining agriculture, the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. She cautioned that the country’s broader economic health depends on restoring farmer welfare.
Praising the Benazir Income Support Programme as a lifeline for many poor women, the MP insisted that cash transfers must be increased to keep pace with inflation or risk losing effectiveness. She pressed the government to cut petroleum levies to provide immediate consumer relief and to adopt policies that offer direct support to low-income segments.
Bringing local concerns into the national debate, she raised chronic electricity and gas shortages in her constituency in Tehsil Mehisar, Dadu district, describing prolonged load shedding, low gas pressure and unscheduled power cuts that harm students, farmers, women and small businesses. She urged the federal government to ensure uninterrupted power and gas supply for the affected communities.
The speech closed with calls for a Pakistan where the poor receive justice, youth find jobs, farmers prosper and women are empowered, invoking the party’s founding leaders and ending with chants of “Pakistan Khappay”, “Jeeye Bhutto” and “Jeeye Awam” that echoed across the chamber. Political analysts said the address reflected the PPP’s budget stance and signaled that inflation, water distribution, provincial rights, energy shortages and public relief will remain central to parliamentary debate in the coming weeks unless the government takes swift action on the issues raised by the MP and the wider public.
