Budget 2020-21: Shehbaz wants 10% raise for government employees

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has hit out at the federal government over its decision to not give a raise to government employees and pensioners in this year’s budget.

The PML-N leader in a statement issued on Sunday demanded that the government give at least a 10% raise in to government employees.

“Every year the PML-N raised salaries of government employees,” Shehbaz said. “We [PML-N] also gave housing allowances and other facilities to government employees as well.”

The former Punjab chief minister added that no increase in the employees' salaries was unacceptable. “Health and medical expenses have increased and everything is very expensive. It is unfair not to increase the salaries in the current economic condition,” Shehbaz said.

He questioned where was the campaign to bring down prices and steps to make the lives of the poor and needy better in the budget. “No programme to help farmers was announced in the budget,” he added.

Gill responds to Shehbaz's criticism

Responding to Shehbaz, PTI leader Shahbaz Gill said the prime minister was aware of the issues that the government employees faced.

“The economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The prime minister is aware of the issues of the government employees and relief will be given as soon conditions are favourable,” Gill said.

Criticising the previous government, Gill said no department had been performing during the PML-N’s tenure. “Somebody should tell Shehbaz Sharif that we have doubled the health budget from the previous tenure and that inflation is in the single digit now,” he said.

“Someone should also tell Shehbaz we have the lowest petroleum prices in the region and the current account deficit is down by 73%,” Gill said.

“If he had bothered to read the budget, Shehbaz Sharif would have known where the steps for the economic revival are,” the PTI leader added.

The budget 2020-2021 was the first budget in which the government employees and pensioners did not get any raise.

According to a report in The News, the decision to not raise salaries and pensions was taken on the demand of the International Monetary Fund, which had originally asked for a reduction in it.

In the budget for the outgoing fiscal year, Rs431.2 billion was allocated for running the civil government but it was revised to Rs445.86 billion for the current outgoing fiscal year and for the new fiscal year 2020-2021 an amount of Rs475.73 billion was allocated.

Likewise, for the new fiscal year, an amount of Rs470 billion has been allocated for pension that includes Rs369 billion for the military pension and Rs111 billion for the civilian pension.