The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has withheld its unconditional support for the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) led federal government on the Budget 2024-25.
According to insiders, a recent meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari ended without a breakthrough.
The PPP did not commit to backing the budget, sticking to its earlier demand for the implementation of a written agreement before offering its support.
Despite the government’s appeal for cooperation, the PPP has insisted that its conditions must be met first, and no deadline has been provided by the government for addressing these demands.
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Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to voice the PPP’s concerns about the budget.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of all political parties working together for national development and public welfare.
He pointed out that some consultations with the PPP had taken place regarding the budget.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s absence from the June 12 budget session highlighted his dissatisfaction with the government’s lack of consultation with the PPP during the budget’s preparation.
PMLN couldn’t consult PPP on a budget that PMLN itself wasn’t consulted on…
— cyril almeida (@cyalm) June 20, 2024
PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, acknowledged the validity of the objections raised by PPP to the Budget 2024-25.
He admitted there was a shortfall in consulting the PPP but assured that their concerns would be addressed before the budget is finalized.
Sanaullah stated, “Their [PPP] concerns are valid, but it wasn’t like they weren’t consulted at all. Yes, there was some lack from our side. However, the budget isn’t finalized yet; we’re still taking proposals.”
The budget session, where Finance Minister Aurangzeb presented the Rs18.877 trillion relief-oriented federal budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, experienced a nearly two-hour delay due to the PPP’s reservations over development allocations.
