Miftah Ismail, former finance minister, has lambasted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government for practically introducing a “mini-budget under the garb of development projects for Balochistan” via its decision to deny the masses relief in petroleum prices.

Speaking on Geo News‘ programme “Geo Pakistan,” Miftah — a former PML-N leader — indulged in a scathing criticism of the Shehbaz government for maintaining the fuel prices and deciding against passing the benefit of lower fuel prices in the international market to Pakistanis.

“You don’t need anything else […] you can utilise the provincial government’s funds as its budget is in surplus This is a mini-budget which you’re trying to justify in the name of development for Balochistan,” said Miftah, the secretary-general of Awaam Pakistan.

PM Shehbaz has announced that savings from withholding fuel price relief will be used for the development of the N-25 Highway in Balochistan, which connects Chaman, Quetta, Kalat, Khuzdar, and Karachi.

By maintaining the petroleum prices, the government has increased the petroleum levy by Rs8.72 per litre on petrol (from Rs70 to Rs78.72 per litre) and on diesel, it increased by Rs7.01 per litre (from Rs70 to Rs77.01 per litre).

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, defending the decision in a televised address, said that the fuel prices remained lower than those in the neighbouring countries and that the freeze supported the development priorities in Balochistan.

He urged the public to accept what he called a “small inconvenience” for the sake of long-term national development.

This line of argument was echoed by PM Shehbaz, who while speaking during an event in Islamabad, said that the savings from maintaining petroleum prices will be spent on the development of Balochistan.

He added that a project has been planned for the construction of the Karachi-Quetta highway, under which a high-quality road will be built at a cost of Rs300 billion within two years and that the deadly road which had claimed around 2,000 lives would be developed into a highway.

Calling it a gift for the people of Balochistan, the prime minister remarked that those opposing such projects are narrow-minded.

Highlighting the doubling of Balochistan’s quota in the National Finance Commission Award (NFC) award, the premier said that the highway project would be built while adhering to the highest standards.

However, pointing out the fallacies within the government’s approach, Miftah — who has also worked as finance czar under PM Shehbaz — said that separate funds are allocated for development projects.

Noting that the government has allocated Rs1,100 billion for such initiatives — of which around Rs700 billion have been allocated for lawmakers all across Pakistan — the Awaam Pakistan leader said that the government could’ve utilised funds for the provincial government’s budget — which too is in surplus.

He said that it could not be that funds from the federal budget are used for motorways in Punjab, but when it came to such projects in other provinces, taxes from all Pakistanis are utilised for that purpose.

“There’s always a way when there’s competence and the right [thought] approach,” he said in response to a question whether the government is doing it out of lack of choice as there was no other way.

He claimed that the government was aware of the possibility of a fall in petroleum prices globally and therefore had promised the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to utilise that, coupled with the imposition of new taxes to avoid introducing a mini-budget.

Highlighting that the government imposed Rs17 in taxes in March coupled with up to Rs30 in the ongoing month and the same amount would be collected from the masses in May and June each, Miftah said that the government is poised to collect around Rs100 billion from the masses which amounts to roughly 8% of the total budget and therefore is practically a “mini-budget”.

Acknowledging that every government needs funds, Miftah called for the government to reduce its own expenses. He lamented that while salaries of ministers and lawmakers were being jacked up to 300% on one hand, the salaries class faces a 40% tax which rises to 50% for the businesses.

Lamenting the exorbitant electricity and gas prices, which he termed as the highest in the region, he remarked that the government could’ve used the funds left from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) funds — which had been increased by 64%.

When asked about giving credit to the government for saving the country from default, the ex-finance minister said that the government should be given credit where its due.

Oil prices have fallen globally, if you want to give its credit to PM Shehbaz then surely do so, he noted while highlighting the favourable global environment with regard to commodities’ prices from which Pakistan has benefited.

Saying that the government can indulge in all kinds of “show projects” such as air ambulances, the fact is that average Pakistanis’ salary had practically decreased in the past three years and that over 100 million people were living below the poverty line coupled with as many as 270 million out of school children in the country.

Lamenting what he called a dysfunctional system which couldn’t provide basic amenities such as health, education and drinking water to the masses, Miftah lambasted the government for transferring the burden of increased prices to the people but denying them relief when it fell.