Government–PPP Talks Continue Over Budget Disagreements in National Assembly

Islamabad: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has once again presented his reservations regarding the federal budget to Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and made it clear that he will not deliver his speech on the budget in the National Assembly until all the party’s demands are accepted.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was accompanied by senior PPP leaders Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar, Raja Pervez Ashraf and Ijaz Jakhrani in the meeting held at Parliament House. According to sources, the meeting was part of the ongoing political consultations regarding the budget.

Sources say that the PPP leadership took the position that the budget presented by the government is different from the draft that was shared with them earlier, on which the party expressed strong reservations.

According to sources, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took the position that if the promises made to the party are not fulfilled, he will not deliver his speech in the budget debate. However, speaking to the media after the meeting, he expressed hope that the issues would be resolved soon.

This is not the first disagreement between the PPP and the government on the budget, rather consultations have been ongoing at various levels for the past several weeks. According to sources, the recent meeting also failed to produce a complete consensus and more talks are expected.

The meeting also discussed development expenditure, PSDP, and overall fiscal policy. The PPP took the position that in view of the economic pressure in the country, the tax net should be widened instead of new taxes.

According to sources, the IMF’s demand for additional revenue measures in the upcoming budget was also discussed, which the PPP opposed to putting more burden on the provinces.

The PPP asked the federal government how the provinces should increase their income, while inflation has already become a major challenge for the people. Party leaders stressed that it is necessary to provide relief to the poor and middle class in economic policies.

According to sources, the two sides will meet again in the coming days to narrow differences over the budget and avoid any potential political deadlock.