‘48% of Region’s Poor Live in Pakistan’: Irshad Bhatti Takes Dig at ‘Shehbaz Speed’ and ‘Roti, Kapra, Makan’
ISLAMABAD: Prominent political analyst Irshad Bhatti has strongly criticised the performance of the traditional ruling parties, taking a sarcastic swipe at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) over their decades-long governance.
In a post on social media platform X, Bhatti sarcastically commented on what he described as the performance record of the experienced politicians of the PML-N and PPP, saying that traditional politicians had given the public little beyond claims and slogans.
Referring to a World Bank report, the analyst claimed that 48 per cent of the poor people in South Asia or the region live in Pakistan, describing the figure as a reflection of the policies pursued by successive governments over the decades.
Bhatti further sarcastically pointed out that parliamentarians in Pakistan receive the highest salaries in the region, saying that while ordinary citizens struggle to meet their basic needs, the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite continue to increase.
اب ذرا ن لیگی اور پیپلز پارٹی کےتجربہ کاروں کی کارکردگی کا یہ نوحہ بھی سن لیں،ورلڈ بینک کہہ رہا ہےکہ اس خطےکے 48 فیصد غریب پاکستان میں رہ رہے،یہ بھی سنتےجائیےکہ پورےخطےمیں سب سےزیادہ تنخواہ ہمارےپارلمنٹرینز کی،یہ ہےشہبازسپیڈ کی حقیقت اور یہ بھٹو والوں کی روٹی کپڑا،مکان کی حقیقت۔۔
— Irshad Bhatti (@IrshadBhatti336) October 8, 2026
Commenting on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s performance, Bhatti took aim at the slogan of “Shehbaz Speed,” arguing that despite the emphasis on fast-paced development projects, inflation and the burden of external debt had placed immense pressure on the public.
He also criticised the PPP’s longstanding slogan of “Roti, Kapra, Makan” (bread, clothing and housing), originally associated with the party’s founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Bhatti said the reality of decades of promises to provide basic necessities was now evident, claiming that many poor citizens were struggling even to secure food and shelter.
