ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday said, pro-poor and people-friendly budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 would change economic landscape by stabilizing the national economy.

“This budget will lead the country towards economic stability, help provide relief to the people especially the poor, and promote industry, trade and commerce in the country,” Marriyum Aurangzeb said while addressing protesting government employees here.

Gone were the days when the prime minister of country did not pay heed to the problems of government employees, she said, adding Pakistan was going through a difficult situation today due to the incompetence, inefficiency, theft and corruption of Imran’s regime.

The minister said Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had directed for 15 percent increase in salaries of the government employees, besides merger of adhoc relief in the basic pay.

There would be a big announcement for pensioners in the budget today, she added.

Today, when the Finance Ministry proposed a 10 percent increase in the salaries of government employees, the Prime Minister rejected it and approved 15 per cent increase in salaries of government employees during the meeting of Federal Cabinet.

Due to the incompetence of a gang which ruled the country for four years, the poor people were facing extreme inflation, poverty and unemployment.

Now, the country was being ruled by the coalition government which not only had representation of all the political parties, but also the vision which would ensure welfare of poor people and the middle class, she maintained.

The minister said despite the difficult circumstances, the budget would not only provide relief to the masses, but also boost the industry, trade, commerce, and agriculture sector in the country.

Historic announcements would also be made for agriculture, IT, industry, food security and youth in the budget, she added. She vowed that the government would continue to provide relief to the poor people and government employees in the current and future budgets.

Despite the strict conditions of the IMF, she said the government and the Prime Minister were thinking of the poor and low-income people.

The minister said when Imran Khan was given power in 2018, the national economy was stable but he ruined it. The government wanted to save the poor people from inflation and unemployment caused by the bad policies of the PTI regime. The government employees present in the rally chanted slogans in favour of the present government, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb.

Meanwhile Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has said the Prime Minister has approved an increase of 15 percent in the salaries of government employees with the consent of the cabinet. In a tweet on Friday, she said the Prime Minister rejected the finance ministry’s proposal of a ten percent increase. She said merging of adhoc allowances into the basic pay has also been approved.