"Even one Indian state has a bigger budget than us": Pakistani lawmaker admits stark economic gap with India, slams government

A passionate speech in Pakistan's National Assembly has gone viral after a lawmaker drew a stark comparison between Pakistan’s financial capabilities and India’s, questioning the government's priorities and preparedness in sectors like healthcare and technology.

"India may be our enemy," the member began his remarks. "But Mr. Speaker, just look at the facts and figures I’m presenting to you."

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He pointed out that Pakistan’s total budget outlay is $62 billion, while India’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh, alone has a budget of $97 billion. “Our total revenue is $50 billion, while UP’s is $80 billion. Our tax revenue is $16 billion less than that of just one Indian state,” he emphasized, underscoring the massive economic disparity.

Referring to the past, the speaker recalled a time of more serious parliamentary engagement: “During Narasimha Rao's government in India, Manmohan Singh was the finance minister, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the opposition leader. Vajpayee would give detailed speeches and raise serious objections. He cared. Look at the state of our government today—no minister is even present, no one is taking notes.”

He further criticized the current government’s approach to health and emerging technologies: “Prime Minister Modi in India announced 10,000 new medical seats. Even Australia made similar announcements. But here, Mr. Speaker, you have reduced the federal health budget from $54 billion to $46 billion and scrapped major projects.”

The lawmaker also highlighted a glaring omission in Pakistan’s development plans. “Artificial intelligence is an emerging subject, but there is no mention of it in any of this government's documents. Meanwhile, India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated ₹500 crore for AI in the February budget.”

In a final call to action, he concluded, “If we really want to compete, the government needs to take this seriously.”

The speech, which touched on themes of governance, accountability, and modernization, has sparked significant discussion on social media, with many praising the lawmaker for openly acknowledging Pakistan’s economic challenges and urging meaningful reform.