ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday used the floor of the National Assembly to respond to a wide-ranging speech by Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, defending the government’s record on Balochistan and counterterrorism while promising a detailed reply to the opposition leader’s remarks at an appropriate time.

The exchange took place during the ongoing budget debate, chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and attended by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

The session began with a quorum shortfall, with only 52 members present against the required 84. Despite the lack of quorum, proceedings continued. Speaker Sadiq also announced the establishment of a budget desk in the Parliament House library to assist lawmakers with budget-related information.

Separately, the speaker censured Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Iqbal Afridi, accusing him of misbehaviour, using abusive language and assaulting people. Sadiq said he had no right to occupy the chair if he could not ensure the protection of others.

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Opening the debate before what he described as “near-empty chairs”, Achakzai condemned what he called a campaign against the Pashtun people in Balochistan and rejected attempts to portray Pashtuns as terrorists.

“We condemn those who say that Pashtuns are terrorists,” he said, adding that Pashtuns had never compromised their freedom or acted as agents of any external power. “I consider it a grave sin to discriminate against any human being on the basis of colour, race or language,” he added.

Achakzai invoked historical grievances in Balochistan, referring to the execution of Nawab Nauroz Khan and his sons during the era of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, the raid on Ataullah Mengal’s residence, the disappearance of Mengal’s son and the killing of Akbar Bugti, whose funeral prayers, he said, were not permitted.

“Pakistan cannot be run in this manner,” he remarked.

The opposition leader also paid tribute to former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, saying he had helped unite Pakistan after the country’s dismemberment. He recalled visiting Nusrat Bhutto following Bhutto’s execution and finding her distressed over the confiscation of her property, claiming he had intervened to protect it.

Achakzai further criticised the government’s handling of protests, alleging that children gathered at D-Chowk to demand the release of PTI founder Imran Khan had been shot and that women and children faced unacceptable treatment following the May 9 unrest.

He accused successive governments of treating Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh like colonies, remarking that “even the British were better by comparison”.

Commenting on the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Achakzai argued that India had responded by revoking the special constitutional status of occupied Kashmir. He added that many who once rallied in support of Kashmir were now protesting domestically.

Reaffirming the constitutional right to protest, Achakzai turned his attention to Waziristan, describing it as a region where every piece of land had a recognised owner. He said the deployment of the military there had produced consequences that were still being felt today.

Appealing for restraint, he urged the government not to “entangle the army and the state”, warning that young people on both the civilian and security sides were losing their lives. “The people of Waziristan are the owners of Waziristan,” he said.

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Despite his criticism, Achakzai adopted a conciliatory tone towards the end of his speech, addressing the prime minister directly and proposing that political forces sign a memorandum of understanding to move forward collectively.

He recalled holding late-night meetings with Shehbaz Sharif to ease tensions between the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, facilitating a meeting between Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto in London, meeting Nawaz during his exile, and helping unite 36 political parties around a common agenda.

He concluded with a pointed question: “Is it not a violation of the Constitution to make winning candidates lose?”

Responding from the floor, Prime Minister Shehbaz said he had listened carefully to Achakzai’s speech but would reserve a detailed response for a later occasion. “I will not give a detailed response to it at this time. I will do so at an appropriate occasion,” he said.

Describing parliament as a house representing all four provinces, the prime minister said political differences were natural but Pakistan’s existence remained the foundation of everyone’s collective future. “Any sacrifice made for Pakistan is too little,” he said.

Rejecting Achakzai’s criticism regarding provincial rights, Shehbaz said there could be no disagreement over the provinces’ entitlement to national resources. He cited Balochistan’s share in the Reko Diq project and noted that the province’s allocation under the 2010 National Finance Commission Award had doubled, with Punjab contributing Rs11 billion to the arrangement.

The prime minister also highlighted development initiatives in Balochistan, including a Rs75 billion solarisation programme for farmers and the construction of a dual carriageway costing Rs300 billion.

Addressing security issues, Shehbaz said external actors were involved in fuelling terrorism in Balochistan and defended the fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as a necessary measure.

He added that members of the armed forces and police continued to sacrifice their lives daily in the fight against terrorism, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“These martyrs leave their own children orphaned to save the nation’s children from becoming orphans,” he said, urging lawmakers to honour and respect those who had laid down their lives.

Following the prime minister’s remarks, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan briefly addressed the House, saying the speech “did not answer our questions”. Speaker Sadiq instructed him to keep his comments brief.

RAWALPINDI: Continuing their intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan, the security forces have killed 21 terrorists in the last 72 hours, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.

In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said multiple terrorist locations were engaged in the “general area Miranshah and surroundings in North Waziristan”.

“Following fierce fire exchanges, in [the] last 72 hours, 21 more khwarij belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Khawarij, including four kharji ring leaders (Kharji Khalid Raza alias Salar, Kharji Muftoon, Kharji Musa and Kharji Imran alias Ayan) have been sent to hell, thereby causing a significant blow to the khwarijs’ network operating in the area,” the ISPR said.

The Pakistani government uses the term “Fitna al-Khawarij” to refer to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates.

The ISPR said the killed ring leaders were “highly wanted for their involvement in numerous terrorist activities, including killing of security forces personnel and innocent civilians”.

It noted that since the operations began last week, with 27 terrorists killed over 72 hours earlier, a total of 48 terrorists have been killed in the “highly skilful and precise operations”.

Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the terrorists, the ISPR said, stressing that they “remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities and killing of innocent civilians”.

Sanitisation operations will continue to eliminate the remaining holed up terrorists from the areas, the military said.

It affirmed that the “relentless counterterrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country”.

On June 2, the district administration imposed Section 144 for an indefinite period in the Miranshah subdivision, restricting all movement and traffic amid security concerns.

The measure was widely seen as indicative of an intensification of counter-militancy operations in North Waziristan, with the administration taking extraordinary precautions to forestall any retaliatory action as the area continues to face militancy.

Before the imposition of Section 144, security forces were reported to have foiled a suicide attack by terrorists on a military post near Miranshah.

After two consecutive months of improvement, Pakistan’s security situation deteriorated sharply in May 2026, driven primarily by escalating terrorist violence in KP and Balochistan, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

As KP and Balochistan continue to grapple with militancy, with attacks often targeting security personnel and law enforcers, the state has intensified counter-terrorism operations.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Friday rejected the federal budget for fiscal year 2026-27, describing it as “a refined exercise in elite self-preservation” that offered little relief to ordinary citizens.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb earlier unveiled the Rs18.8 trillion budget for FY2026-27, announcing total federal expenditure of Rs18,771 billion and setting an economic growth target of 4pc, while describing the budget as anchored in “stabilisation, reform and growth”.

In a statement, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram criticised the budget document, calling it “a refined exercise in elite self-preservation”, presented with “the sincerity of a merchant extolling yesterday’s unsold stock”.

Akram said the government was presenting a 3.7pc growth rate as evidence of economic recovery while comparing its performance with that of the PTI government during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The previous administration, despite a global pandemic that paralysed economies worldwide, recorded growth approaching 6 percent in its final year while strengthening the current account and remittances,” he said.

He argued that the current government was portraying a more modest economic performance as a major achievement while relying heavily on remittances, external borrowing and factors that, according to him, had little direct impact on people living and working in the economy.

Akram claimed poverty had increased significantly, pushing millions of people below the poverty line.

Read: Budget 2026-27: FinMin projects 4% growth as govt unveils fiscal, tax and reform agenda

“The poorest sections of society are left to manage as best they can, their circumstances worsened by conditions this budget claims to have mastered,” he said, adding that the government had acknowledged the impact of higher oil prices and flood-related losses on households while highlighting targeted subsidies introduced in response.

The PTI leader said the salaried class remained under pressure despite the relief measures announced in the budget.

“The salaried class, already the most heavily taxed segment, finds meeting basic household obligations an exercise in sustained improvisation,” he said.

He maintained that reductions for higher-income groups and the abolition or reduction of super tax for selected businesses primarily benefited those better positioned to withstand economic pressures.

According to Akram, adjustments to construction-related withholding taxes favoured developers rather than addressing the housing needs of the broader population. At the same time, relief for ordinary employees would be quickly eroded by inflation projected at 8.2pc.

He further said that over the past three to four budgets, the government had imposed a range of new taxes, reduced tax rates, withdrawn zero-rating under the Fifth Schedule and eliminated several exemptions.

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“Beyond a few minor measures, the budget offers nothing substantive for the common citizen or small businesses,” he said.

Akram also criticised measures affecting small businesses and traders, including the introduction of a new fixed tax regime, the expansion of withholding tax on unregistered purchases, and enhanced production monitoring through digital invoicing.

He alleged that the government was increasingly relying on large-scale, faceless audits and stricter enforcement measures.

“This approach does not aim to broaden the tax base but relies on harassment and coercion of already compliant taxpayers to extract more revenue while ignoring widespread tax evasion,” he said.

The PTI leader further alleged that the budget continued what he described as a pattern of “statistical flexibility and selective historical recollection”.

He claimed the government was attributing positive developments to its own policies while overlooking earlier achievements and criticised what he termed the presentation of regional tensions as a source of strategic advantage and defence export opportunities.

“The presentation of regional tensions as a source of strategic advantage and defence export opportunities, even amid conflict, shows indifference to the human and economic costs borne by ordinary citizens,” he said.

Gohar slams budget as ‘disappointing’

Meanwhile, Party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that the upcoming federal budget would not bring any relief to the public, stressing that it would fail to improve the lives of ordinary citizens.

Speaking to the media, the PTI chairman said the government had “no performance over the past four years” and accused it of continued borrowing instead of reducing expenditures. He said the budget was expected to be “disappointing”, adding that “there will be no relief for the public” in the financial plan.

Barrister Gohar criticised what he described as rising “extravagance and mismanagement” in government spending, saying the economic situation had worsened over time. He added that the budget should have focused on bringing real change in people’s lives, but instead, according to him, it reflected poor priorities.

Barrister Gohra also said efforts were ongoing to arrange a meeting with party founder Imran Khan, but there had been “no positive response” so far.

He remarked that the public was suffering while the government was “asking for informal engagement”, adding that the party did not want “photo sessions” with the prime minister.

The government is set to unveil a massive Rs17.5 trillion (approximately $61 billion) consolidated budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 today to meet strict International Monetary Fund austerity conditions.

The high-stakes spending plan balances fiscal tightening and IMF structural directives while introducing relief measures for the poorest citizens and modest salary bumps for government workers. The budget comes as much of the population continues to feel the effects of the Iran-US war, with no indication that the conflict is easing.

The government will propose measures to raise revenue and cut spending while shielding the nation’s poorest.

Under pressure to meet austerity conditions from the International Monetary Fund, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will submit a delayed Rs17.5 trillion ($61-billion) spending plan for the fiscal year starting next month in the National Assembly.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday stressed the importance of the country having “strong” security, as he spoke about the budget-making process.

He made the remarks during a federal cabinet meeting that approved the budget, which is now expected to be tabled in the parliament. “Today, we are presenting the third budget of our government,” the premier noted.

“There were definitely a lot of challenges while preparing this budget. I believe that no nation can handle its matters, let alone make progress, if its security is not strong and invincible,” the prime minister stressed.

He added, “We have to build water reservoirs and dams [as well as] work with speed on indigenous energy resources, which include solar panels, wind, and batteries.”

The prime minister mentioned that “measures for tax relief and economic progress” will be proposed in the budget.

Noting that the government had “lengthy discussions” with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during the budget-making process, PM Shehbaz said he had a 30 to 45-minute-long phone call with its Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, who hailed Pakistan’s economic progress.

He noted that the PML-N had “very detailed conversations” with its ally PPP, which were “successful”. He also thanked other coalition allies for their “unconditional” support.

The prime minister highlighted that the Centre remained engaged in “comprehensive interaction” with the four provinces over the past one and a half months.

“They were told how the centre needs additional funds,” he said, terming the dialogue with the provinces “very meaningful”.

The PML-N and the PPP had agreed to cut development and other expenditures at all tiers of the federation and jointly create similar, but higher, fiscal space next year for additional “strategic needs”.

As a result, the freeze on allocations for provincial development programmes will continue for a specific period beyond one year, according to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

During his address, PM Shehbaz appreciated PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, calling him his “leader”, and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for “showing a big heart for the pressing needs of the federal government”.

“They said that they stood ready to extend support to the federal government in challenges in defence and water security,” he remarked.

The prime minister then recalled his team had “several” meetings with the Sindh leadership, which also cooperated. He thanked President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for their “decision in the best interest of the country”.

PM Shehbaz also thanked Balochistan CM Sarfraz Bugti’s “big-heartedness” and KP CM Sohail Afridi’s “positive sentiments”.

“There can be no grander demonstration of national unity, solidarity, and cohesion than this,” he remarked.

The premier acknowledged that “despite our best efforts”, the government had to impose taxes in the past two budgets due to the “national and IMF requirements so that the economy […] could be stabilised and the avenues for progress could be expanded”.

The prime minister added: “Definitely, the common man had to face many difficulties due to it, and I, on my own and the cabinet’s behalf, would like to thank the 240 million people of Pakistan who tolerated the inflation with patience.”

PM Shehbaz highlighted that inflation had declined to single-digit from 38 per cent in the past two years, before increasing slightly due to the ongoing Middle East conflict. He further highlighted that the policy rate had also dipped to 11pc from 22.5pc during the period, but had to be raised due to the impacts of the US-Iran war.

“Today, our economy is stable, and we should hope that with this third budget, […] the wheel of our economy will pick up pace on the condition that we collectively work hard around the clock and stand ready to fulfil our responsibilities,” he emphasised.

At the outset of his address, PM Shehbaz said he attended the funeral prayers of “martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty”, which included two Christians.

“It was a heart-wrenching scenario that brought tears to every eye,” he said, recalling his meeting with the families of the martyred personnel.