The ongoing Senate budget session exposed a glaring lack of interest from both treasury and opposition members, with only five senators present during a critical debate on the federal budget.

Of the five, three were from the treasury benches and two from the opposition, while not a single federal minister attended the session. Key political figures, including the leader of the opposition, were also absent.

Senator Kamran Murtaza condemned an incident involving the son of Maulana Fazlur Rehman being stopped by armed personnel, calling it damaging to national unity.

He likened the filer vs non-filer distinction in tax policy to the divisive categorization of believers and non-believers.

Senator Mohsin Aziz of PTI launched a scathing attack on the budget, accusing the ruling coalition of covering up decades of misgovernance and blaming PTI’s three-and-a-half-year tenure for all problems.

He noted that under the PTI, exports reached record highs and the dollar stood at Rs170, whereas the current government is stifling registered taxpayers. He also criticised the budget for ignoring key sectors like health and education.

PPP’s Senator Waqar Mehdi said that the budget is not ‘people friendly’ and challenged Finance Minister Aurangzeb to spend a day with a labourer to understand the problems bring faced by the poverty-hit class. He also praised Bilawal Bhutto’s foreign policy approach.

Senator Aamir Waliuddin Chishti expressed concerns over enhanced powers granted to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), claiming the burden would fall disproportionately on Karachi.

He criticised both federal and provincial governments for neglecting the city, calling the Rs15 billion allocated to Karachi insufficient.

Senator Zameer Hussain Ghumro highlighted disparities in federal budget allocations, accusing the centre of favouring some provinces over others.

He called for the dissolution of the Ministry of Housing and Works and recommended hydropower profit payments to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

ANP’s Aimal Wali Khan claimed the country had lost its economic sovereignty, arguing the budget had ignored the masses and robbed 60% of Pakistanis of their right to live, while ministerial salaries were increased by 600% — allegedly without the prime minister’s knowledge.

Senator Aon Abbas Bappi demanded the production order for Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, who remains in jail. He lamented the plight of farmers, citing that four million tons of wheat remain unsold, and condemned the agriculture sector’s dismal 0.6% growth as “shameful.”

Senator Bilal Ahmed criticised the budget as anti-poor, accusing the government of favouring only the elite. He ridiculed the Rs15 billion allocation for the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway as inadequate.

JUI’s Senator Abdul Shakoor called for employment opportunities instead of cash handouts under the Benazir Income Support Programme and slammed the taxation of solar panels as anti-public.

He also rebuked absent senators, suggesting those who don’t attend should not be paid.

Throughout the session, members fiercely criticised the absence of ministers, the perceived unfair distribution of resources in the budget, and the government’s indifference to public issues.

The overall atmosphere was informal and discouraging — casting doubt on the seriousness with which the budget process is being treated.