Finance Minister present Rs5.3tn ‘tax-free’ Punjab budget for FY26

Lahore: Punjab Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaaur Rehman is presenting Rs5.3 trillion ‘tax-free’ annual budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 in the Punjab Assembly. Speaker Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmed is charing the budget session.

The budget speech is continuing amid rumpus as members from opposition benches raised noise to distrupt the budget speech. They tore down the copies of budget in front of the Speaker's dice.

Opening the budget speech, the minister said that he saluted the entrire nation for defeating India. He said that Punjab was making progress under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryan Nawaz Sharif and that the provincial governance is witnesssing because of finnacial discipline.

Rehman added that new schools, colleges and hospitals were being constructed throughout the province.

Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman stated that, like the previous year, the 2025–26 budget is also tax-free. Measures have been taken to address serious issues like climate change, and new IT and industrial cities are being developed. The 2025–26 budget will set new records of development in Punjab and provide relief to the public.

While presenting the budget figures in the Punjab Assembly, the Finance Minister said that Maryam Nawaz is working to eliminate poverty and unemployment from Punjab. She has opened new avenues of progress for the youth. Laptops have been distributed to students across Punjab without discrimination, and developmental work is ongoing around the clock. Under Maryam Nawaz's leadership, Punjab is on the path of progress.

Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman further added that a substantial amount has been allocated for free medicines in Punjab. A Food Nutrition Program has been launched, and a Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology is being established in Sargodha.

He also said: "We salute the entire nation on the victory against India. The Pakistan Army has achieved a historic success. During the war, the Chief Minister played a leading role in Punjab. We strongly condemn Israel’s expansionist ambitions and consider the unjustified attack on Iran to be deplorable."