Finance Minister: The public relief proposals that were up for discussion at the meeting were also discussed. The President emphasized the need to pay special attention to the middle classes in the budget. The President and Prime Minister also discussed developmental projects in the next budget. The Prime Minister informed the President about his recent visit to China. The President assured the Prime Minister of his cooperation in achieving national development and economic goals.
PPP members were angered by needing to be consulted on the budget. A PPP member said that the government needs to give more importance to the PPP despite their support on all matters. The government has not consulted them on any issue. The PPP demanded a salary increase of up to twenty-five percent and strongly opposed the privatization of institutions. Assembly members expressed their opinions and demanded relief for the public in the budget. The PPP has given the committee until today, Wednesday, to contact the government regarding budget proposals. The PPP’s parliamentary party will meet again today to decide whether to support or oppose the budget.
After the gathering, PPP representative Shazia Marri expressed that the government needed to take them into confidence on the budget to avoid making them insignificant for the cabinet. The government wants the PPP to protest. In a press conference, Shazia Marri said they are presenting the national budget today and held a meeting to discuss it. Under Bilawal Bhutto’s chairmanship, assembly members informed the party leadership about their concerns.
The PPP faces difficulties due to the federal government’s attitude. If farmers do not receive relief, the PPP will face the consequences. The federal government has yet to honor the agreements it made. If this attitude continues, the PPP will have to reconsider its support.
They tried to avoid reaching this stage, but the government still needs to meet their expectations from discussions. The National Economic Council (NEC) meeting should have taken place earlier, where the Chief Minister of Sindh presented his case. The spokesperson said that they would provide input based on their manifesto. Khursheed Shah, the leader of the PPP, stated that the government needs to inform them about the budget. Addressing the media outside Parliament House, Khursheed Shah said that the public authority has yet to confirm them. In the past, leaders took the opposition into confidence, and now, as allies, they should consult them.
