Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and Member of the National Assembly, Sharmila Farooqi, has strongly criticised the Federal Budget 2026-27. She called it unfair to the country’s large young population.
Farooqi pointed out that Pakistan has around 160 to 163 million young people. Yet the budget allocates only Rs. 5 billion for youth development programmes. This comes to just about Rs. 32 per young person. She compared this to the price of a simple samosa in Islamabad, which costs around Rs. 40. “The government values our youth less than a samosa,” she said in a powerful speech.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Farooqi said the budget fails to give real support to youth in education, skills training, jobs, or entrepreneurship. She warned that ignoring such a huge young population could lead to serious economic and social problems in the future.
The government has announced some programmes like IT training for 120,000 youth with Rs. 5.29 billion and other skill schemes. However, Farooqi argued these steps are too small compared to the needs of millions of young Pakistanis facing unemployment and lack of opportunities.
Her remarks have sparked debate on social media and in political circles. Many agree that more investment is needed to turn Pakistan’s youth bulge into a real strength for the country’s progress.
