Punjab budget will be tax-free:  Uzma Bukhari

LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Uzma Bukhari on Monday said that the upcoming Punjab budget will be tax-free, as all proposals for new taxes have been rejected by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman is set to present the 2025-26 Rs 5.3 trillion provincial budget in the Punjab Assembly today (Monday), after it received approval during a special cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

From the total outlay of over Rs5.3 trillion, Rs4,060 billion have been set aside for non-development expenses and Rs1,240 billion allocated for the Annual Development Programme (ADP).

Speaking to the media, Bukhari said the government plans to hold local government elections immediately after the budget.

“We are fully prepared for LG polls in Punjab,” she stated, adding that the previous PTI government had scrapped the local government system in the province.

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She said the Local Government Bill would be passed in the standing committee in July, after which the Election Commission will begin the process for the polls.

Talking about PTI, she said, “We stop PTI from creating chaos, not from protesting.” She accused PTI leaders of inciting violence, claiming that chief minister KPAli Amin Gandapur was once again calling on workers to bring weapons.

“Every time they show up, they carry weapons. Political workers don’t protest with arms,” she said. “The country cannot be left at the mercy of terrorists.”

Bukhari accused PTI of choosing violence over dialogue, saying it was the state’s responsibility to protect the people of Punjab from their “militant-style politics.”