ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — a key partner in the ruling coalition — is attending the budget session after a brief boycott, following the negotiations with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz delegations.
However, the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto left the Parliament House and decided not to attend the budget session, first of the coalition government.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met with the PPP parliamentary leaders and convinced them to attend the session.
Earlier, the PPP has decided not to attend the budget session due to not being consulted in the preparation of the annual budget to be presented in the National Assembly today.
The decision was made during the PPP parliamentary party meeting chaired by party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto. During the meeting, the majority of the lawmakers were of the opinion to boycott the session over the party’s exclusion from the budget preparation process.
It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday had met with President Asif Ali Zardari, the Co-Chairman of the PPP, to take him into confidence regarding the budget.
Earlier today, Pakistan People’s Party senior leader Nafisa Shah stated that the PPP was not briefed on the federal budget.
Following the meeting, party key leader Khursheed Shah told reporters that the PPP was not consulted on the budget.
It had been agreed that projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) would be decided unanimously with input from all chief ministers. However, the PML-N did not consult PPP Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
Nafisa Shah expressed reservations about the budget and mentioned that these concerns would be presented to the government. “We will settle the issues with dialogue,” she said.
“There is no option before us of not extending support to the government over the budget,” the PPP leader added.
Shah also expressed uncertainty regarding discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying, “What is being discussed with the IMF, I don’t know.”
Earlier, PPP leader Nayyar Bukhari had mentioned that the party has yet to decide whether to support or oppose the budget.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with PPP President Asif Ali Zardari to discuss the country’s overall economic situation and the upcoming annual budget for 2024-25. Federal Minister for Planning and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, also attended the meeting, according to a President House press release.
President Zardari emphasized the importance of protecting the interests of low-income and middle-class citizens in the annual budget. He assured the prime minister of his support for national development and the achievement of fiscal targets.
