PTI says ‘federal budget favours elite, ignores masses'
ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday sharply criticised the federal budget for 2025-26, branding it 'the worst in the country's history' and accusing the government of favouring the elite while neglecting ordinary citizens.
Leading PTI's charge during the ongoing budget debate in the National Assembly, acting PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan criticised the absence of new development projects, accusing the government of failing to introduce economic reforms or curb inflation.
He described the budget as misleading, arguing that the reported 3.5 per cent inflation rate was far from reality. 'If that figure were accurate, the State Bank wouldn't maintain an 11 per cent policy rate.'
Budget 2025-26: Pakistan targets 4.2% growth as Aurangzeb presents proposals 'for a competitive economy'
He compared Pakistan's $62 billion federal budget to India's Uttar Pradesh state, which he claimed had a budget of $97 billion, highlighting inefficiencies and waste in government spending, including the presence of 16 directors general in Customs compared to India's five.
Barrister Gohar proposed tax relief measures, such as exempting individuals earning up to Rs2.2 million annually from income tax and abolishing stamp duty on property in Islamabad.
He strongly opposed a proposed amendment to Section 169, which would require taxpayers to deposit 50 per cent of disputed amounts to obtain stay orders. 'This strips taxpayers of their basic right to appeal,' he said.
Criticising the National Assembly's performance, he claimed it failed to meet even basic legislative standards, often convening for less than half an hour, and called the Rs15 billion allocation for the Assembly excessive compared to India's Rs5 billion for its much larger parliament.
Gohar also criticised Defence Minister Khawaja Asif for his silence when Punjab lawmakers approved a salary increase for themselves. He accused the minister of resorting to political rhetoric only after the issue gained traction in the federal capital, rather than taking any concrete steps to halt what he described as an unjustified pay hike.
He called for an end to what he described as abuse of power and expressed concern over reduced health and education budgets. 'There's not even a mention of artificial intelligence in the recent presented budget,' he regretted, praising the PTI's previous IT sector initiatives, which he claimed played a strategic role in past confrontations with India.
The PTI leader said the budget had been tailored to suit powerful interests, pointing to reduced tariffs on imported vehicles as evidence. He urged the government to adopt a more inclusive approach by considering opposition proposals, citing the example of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who in the 1990s incorporated recommendations from his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a gesture of bipartisan cooperation.
In contrast, several lawmakers from the ruling coalition and allied parties defended the budget. Minister for Water Resources Mueen Watto hailed it as 'ideal,' claiming it reflected prudent financial management. He claimed improved economic indicators such as declining inflation, increased foreign reserves, and rising remittances.
Addressing India's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, he assured lawmakers that Pakistan would safeguard its water rights and announced Rs130 billion for expanding water storage infrastructure, including the Diamer-Bhasha, Mohmand, and Kurram-Tangi dams.
Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam said the budget included relief measures for employees and other vulnerable groups.
Syed Aminul Haq echoed government claims of economic recovery, adding that global financial institutions had recognised Pakistan's fiscal improvements.
However, criticism also emerged from within the House. Lawmakers across parties highlighted areas of concern, particularly under-funding in health and education. Shahida Begum, Shahida Akhtar Ali of JUI-F, and Sehar Kamran expressed dissatisfaction with the low budgetary allocation to these sectors.
'The government should allocate at least four per cent of GDP to education and health,' Akhtar Ali said, also noting that PTV employees had gone unpaid for three months.
Shazia Marri of the PPP rejected the proposed 18 per cent tax on solar panels and the carbon levy, while criticising the government's failure to raise the minimum wage. 'Employees' concerns are being ignored,' she said.
Shahram Khan Tarakai of PTI also opposed the solar panel tax, while Sadiq Ali Memon of PPP demanded it be scrapped and the minimum wage raised to Rs50,000.
Misbah Uddin and Anwar Ali Taj said the tribal districts had been overlooked in the budget and called for an updated Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) survey to include more deserving beneficiaries.
Syed Hussain Tariq and Abdul Aleem Khan underscored the importance of supporting the agricultural sector and achieving core economic goals.
Mohammad Ahmed Chattha advocated for motorway links to Wazirabad, while Ahmed Saleem Siddiqui proposed developing coastal tourism and the ship-breaking industry. Tehmina Daultana of ruling PML-N urged greater support for women, while Nikhat Shakeel Khan demanded better public transport in Karachi and poverty reduction measures.
Mian Khan Bugti praised the Rs250billion allocation for Balochistan and the focus on connectivity projects. Meanwhile, Muhammad Ilyas Chaudhry pushed for incentives for overseas Pakistanis to invest in the country. Shaista Khan paid tribute to the armed forces and federal leadership for their 'strong response' to Indian aggression, while accusing the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of corruption and failing to deliver basic services.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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Did India use commercial flights as ‘human shields'?
In the ongoing information warfare between India and Pakistan, narratives clash with great fervor. India has, over the past few weeks, come forward accusing Pakistan of using civilian airliners as 'shields' for their military aircraft during high tension timelines. However, a deep dive into the OSINT data encompassing flight logs, social media timestamps, and official military briefings reveals a most sinister exploitation of commercial flights. It suggests that rather than simply getting caught in the crossfire, these airplanes were intentionally steered by Indian air traffic controllers towards the crosshairs of the IAF strike packages, which were positioned in the Kashmir and Jammu regions, instead of the safer east-south-easterly routes. As the provided OSINT images suggest, air traffic control cynically turned these passengers into 'human shields' for IAF fighter jets. Diverting civilian aircraft into a conflict zone, especially for military purposes, is an outrageous breach of humanitarian law. It also depicts utter contempt for human life and violently disrupts the sacredness of civilian airspace. The military maneuvers alongside flights conducted by commercial airlines leave an unnerving imprint, which calls for thorough investigation of responsibility and instant global attention. Commercial flights pushed into danger In contrast to the tracks navigated by these specific aircraft, commercial flights operating in these sectors were supposed to take well-timed and east-south-east directions avoiding 'danger-zones'. However, OSINT offered evidence records which clearly demonstrate the opposite hypothesis during the claimed periods of IAF military activities. Let's talk about the baseline first: The preset 'normal route' for these airliners is showcased as a magenta line in the image below. Normal Flight Path followed by Air Asia at 2202 PST on 6 May 2025 This 'standard flight path' of the route was not to be! And the airliners were tracked in a northward direction, which purportedly brought civilian flights deep into the core of the military action zone. Flight tracker data from 6 May 2025, 19:30 UTC shows a bobbing cluster of commercial aircraft including THA961, KAC-381, THA911, THA931 to mention a few as per above video 1. They seem to have a northern heading. Instead of being diverted southwards and out of a possible conflict, these flights seem to be kept or actively routed towards the Jammu & Kashmir parts of the region. Diverted Path followed by Airliners at 0030 - 0032 PST on 7 May 2025 / 1930 – 1932 UTC, 6 May 2025 The observation is supported by another snapshot from the same day at 19:32 UTC. Airliners such as KLM871 and THA925 were also continuing their journey along northern routes a mere three minutes before the purported peak of military activity. The persistent flow of civilian traffic, apparently ordered or allowed to continue on that northern heading, sharply contrasts accepted risk management practices in aviation safety during armed conflicts. The screenshot below of flight KLM809's (Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur) KLM Airways flight shows the normal operating track which differs grossly from the unsettling practice which took place on that fateful night. This image demonstrates that the very same "normal route" – which was vectored northwards – commonly follows the depicted track under run-of-the-mill circumstances. This suggests not an accidental momentary lapse, but a consistent operational pattern. Normal Flight Path followed by KLM at 0945 PST (0445 UTC) on 6 May 2025 IAF's concealed maneuvers The timeline of this scenario proceeded with IAF operations started at 0010 hours PST 7 May 2025 & 6 May 1910 UTC with Indian airstrike within Pakistan's borders at 35 minutes past midnight which is 0035 PST 7 May 2025 &1935 UTC 6 May 2025. A PAF response was activated at 0012 hrs PST & 1912 UTC. Added to the list of projectiles fired at the heart of Pakistan were Bahawalpur to the south, Muzaffarabad mosque in the north, alongside a presumed Muridke compound. The most concerning tale of pertaining to 'human shield' disclaimer is the control airspace of the IAF over regions of Indian Kashmir and Jammu as it is proven that commercial flights were routed into these zones. Official Images released showing active Indian Operations at 0035 PST IAF's presence and civilian overlap The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) gave a press briefing with the slide 'RECONSTRUCTION OF EVENTS' as below, when a photograph in the slide strikingly caught the attention of the author. It shows IAF strike packages marked with red boxes and dotted over the LOC as well as the Indian Kashmir and Jammu region. PAF Brief showing location of IAF Package at 0030 PST Combining PAF's reconstruction with actual civilian flight data tells a similar story. The flight tracker info showing 6 May 2025, UTC 19:35:06 timestamped below Image 8 shows civilian air traffic feeding into the so-called 'operational zones' of IAF redacted strikes. The picture exhibits superdense garrisoned traffic of jets in the construed airspace of the north. The display provides uncanny resemblance to random intersections of civil flight paths with IAF fighter activities. Airliners diverted over the IAF Package and S-400 Site Shown in the image below, the overlap is reemphasized with OSINT along the dangerous corridor where Qatar Airways flight QTR85V and China Southern Airlines flight CSN8070 are located, corroborating the timeline. As for their flight paths, QTR85V is visible south of Bhatinda and south-west of Adhampur, locations that, according to PAF charts, were close to where a Rafael aircraft was operating (288 / 19 NM from Bhatinda) and where an S-400 was reportedly deployed. CSN8070 is also in almost the same critical location. Noteworthy is that Vietnam Airlines flight HVN18 also traversed this sensitive region. With the same timing, this flight was flying east to Hanoi from Paris, and put through 'beelining' around the highly contested area. Chinese, Qatari, Vietnamese and Dutch Airliners being flown over the battle space Acquired information, as per the following image, suggests there was also Kuwait Airways flight KAC381 (Kuwait City – Delhi) appears to have taken the most curious detour crossing the furthest to 'exotic' combat zones as well. Its flight path castles a continuous line which markedly contradicts the usual routes airline flights take through the LOC which appears even more transparent as it virtually flies straight to the spot 'to protect IAF indeed'. This precise positioning of multiple civilian airliners near key Indian military assets and operational zones intensifies the 'human shield' claim. Kuwait Airways flew a diverted path all along the International Border and LOC while a large number of IAF and PAF fighters were airborne All went quiet on the eastern front as soon as 1945 UTC – 0045 hrs PST. Once the IAF had completed its weapons release and its munitions had hit their targets. All airliners diverted and jumbled up now being reverted back at 0045 PST to their destination path also ensuring safe exit of IAF fighter after their strikes The "Kill Chart" and strategic positioning Seen in the official PAF brief, the 'Kill Chart' shared with media representatives featured IAF aircraft such as the Rafale, MiG 29, Su-30 MKI, with shooting ranges marked relative to important locations like Srinagar, Jammu and the International Border. In the modified image of the 'Kill Chart' below, the red box highlights an area where civilian airliners were flying heavily around the time the alleged strikes occurred. The area where the IAF aircraft were said to be operating overlaps and is key to the 'human shield' narrative. Red Box indicating PAF avoided shooting IAF fighters in the area with human shield airliners. The implication is stark: Pakistani fighter jets took great care taking 'shots of opportunity in Grind' while in BVR (Beyond Visual Range) air combat mode and 'sorting' the targets avoiding the commercial jets in the area. As well as defend themselves from crossfire during any aggressive attempts from IAF jets which were indeed present in the conflict zones of Indian Kashmir and Jammu. If IAF jets had commanding presence over these particular zones – which was not to be – and civilian airliners were forced or retained on to the Northern paths to these zones, it would cripple all attempts by Pakistan air defence to intercept or counter fire. This specific approach makes defendable every argument around the possible killing of thousands of innocent civilians under the guise of military operations. A grave violation: the purposeful proximity The integration of OSINT, including flight tracking data, local Bahawalpur tweet – image 14 – reporting impacts around 0040 PST, and military replays, provides a coherent yet disturbing analysis. The critical concern is: Why were commercial airlines actively instructed to forcefully maneuver into, and purportedly stay within, an airstrike package IAF purportedly positioned over Kashmir and Jammu, rather than being safely, international airspace guideline compliant, routed well south of the conflict zone? A tweet from local shows that by 0040 PST the airstrikes had struck their targets Best practice aviation safety risk management protocols order the immediate air space clearance of commercial aviation during any aviation military activity. Regardless, the OSINT data paints a picture that not only were those protocols completely disregarded, but an illogical dangerous northern route was enforced or followed. Implications: a deliberate act of endangerment This glaring absence of southward diversions, coupled with the dense civilian air traffic being funnelled northwards, compels a severe examination of the implications for India's conduct… Gross Negligence and Strategic Misjudgment: One possibility points to an appalling failure of coordination and judgment within India's command and control. Such a lapse, leading to thousands of civilian lives being knowingly exposed to a conflict zone, would constitute a profound breach of aviation safety and human ethics. One possibility points to an appalling failure of coordination and judgment within India's command and control. Such a lapse, leading to thousands of civilian lives being knowingly exposed to a conflict zone, would constitute a profound breach of aviation safety and human ethics. 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Every yellow symbol on those flight tracker maps conveys hundreds of individuals, including passengers, pilots, and cabin crew, unaware that their routine flight was allegedly meant to be turned into some sort of a dangerous military operation. It is deeply disturbing and morally distressing to contemplate that these people might have been intended to be a shield for military operations behind the scenes. The comprehensive collection of open-source intelligence provided in this case, such as detailed flight tracking data, contemporaneous social media reports, and official military briefings, along with others, raises some of the most profound and unsettling questions alongside the ones that have already been answered. It strongly indicates that civilian airliners were purposely steered dangerously close to IAF operational zones, directly undermining the narrative India has been pointing out against Pakistan. It goes beyond the issues of international relations or military maneuvers; it is an investigation into law and morality, along with the fundamental right to unimpeded access to traversing through airspace regarded as civilian without risk. There needs to be an investigation done by an outside entity because 'unbiased' has become a myth in modern discourse. It is necessary to understand so that measures can be put in place to prevent what can been bluntly described as 'contemptable'. Every single honest citizen of the world is yet to receive answers on what these innocent individuals did to deserve being jammed into the space just above the so-called weapon delivery zone and who bears the ultimate responsibility for this alleged act of deception and endangerment. Fahad Masood is an aviation analyst and freelance contributor All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the author
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