What Did Asad Baig Say About the 2026-27 Budget?

A summary of the writer's opinion on Pakistan's federal budget

By the ISN Media desk • June 2026 • Approx. 4-min read

This is a short summary of the writer Asad Baig's opinion on Pakistan's 2026-27 budget. It reports his arguments; the full opinion piece, in his own voice, is where is the plan. The figures cited are Budget Estimates from the Government of Pakistan.

What did Asad Baig say about the 2026-27 budget?

Asad Baig, a writer and overseas Pakistani who contributes opinion to this network, argued that Pakistan's 2026-27 budget is "political engineering, not a plan." His central charge is that the budget protects debt, defence and cash handouts while starving education, health and the environment, the things he believes build a country. He set out his case in a piece titled where is the plan, and in a series of supporting opinion articles.

His main arguments

In his opinion piece, Asad Baig made several arguments. He criticised the federal education allocation of about Rs 118 billion, roughly 63 paisa in every 100 rupees, as far too low, and argued that the cash-support programme, at about Rs 844.8 billion, should be redirected into educating the families who receive it. He questioned why the cost of running the government, about Rs 1,071 billion, exceeds the development budget. He called the environment line of about Rs 2.4 billion shameful for a flood-prone country. And he argued that the interest bill, about 43 percent of the budget, is riba, calling the arrangement "a riba factory."

His supporting pieces

Asad Baig expanded these arguments across several opinion articles: cash is not a plan, on why he believes a permanent handout cannot end poverty; we educate our people, then we export them, on education and emigration; the riba factory, on interest and Islam; and is BISP political, the Sindh question, on the politics of cash support. These are opinion pieces, written in his own voice, and clearly framed as his views.

How his views relate to the figures

The budget figures Asad Baig cites are accurate: education is about Rs 118 billion, BISP about Rs 844.8 billion, the environment about Rs 2.4 billion, and interest about Rs 8,054 billion or 43 percent of spending. Where his pieces move from figures to judgment, calling the budget political engineering, the interest riba, or the cash programme a political machine, those are his opinions, on which others disagree, and which this network reports as opinion rather than fact.

Frequently asked questions

What did Asad Baig say about the 2026-27 budget? He argued it is "political engineering, not a plan," that it protects debt, defence and cash handouts while starving education, health and the environment. His full opinion is in where is the plan.

Who is Asad Baig? A writer and overseas Pakistani who contributes opinion and analysis to ISN Media, writing in a first-person voice from lived experience on Pakistan's economy and policy.

What did he say about education? That the federal allocation of about Rs 118 billion, or 63 paisa in every 100 rupees, is far too low, and that cash-support money should be redirected into educating poor families.

What did he say about interest? That the interest bill, about 43 percent of the budget, is riba, calling the arrangement "a riba factory" and arguing it contradicts the state's promotion of Islamic banking.

Are his arguments fact or opinion? The budget figures he cites are accurate. Where he moves to judgment, calling the budget political engineering or the interest riba, those are his opinions, which others contest, and which are reported as opinion.

What does Asad Baig propose instead? He argues for redirecting cash-support money into tiered education for poor families, protecting health and the environment from cuts, demanding a detailed account of the cost of running the government, and treating the debt and its interest as the emergency he believes they are.

Sources and notes

• Asad Baig's opinion pieces are published on ISN Media and written in his own voice. This summary reports his arguments.
• Government of Pakistan, Federal Budget 2026-27: the figures cited are Budget Estimates in billions of rupees.

Related reading

• The full opinion: where is the plan
• His supporting pieces: cash is not a plan, we educate our people, then we export them, the riba factory, is BISP political, the Sindh question