Pakistan's budget could have been better if govt had consulted us, says Bilawal

Amid the row over the federal budget in Pakistan, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari again attacked its coalition partner Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), for "not consulting" his party for budget, Geo News reported.

Amid the row over the federal budget in Pakistan, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari again attacked its coalition partner Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), for "not consulting" them for the budget, Geo News reported. Bilawal was addressing an event on the occasion of his mother, Benazir Bhutto's 71st birthday in Karachi's Lyari Town on Friday.

He said that the "incumbent government is making all-out efforts to steer the country out of the economic crisis". The former Foreign Minister, however, urged the ruling PML-N to take its allies in confidence to finalise the federal budget. He added that the budget for 2024-25 could have been "better" if the federal government had consulted with the PPP.

Notably, political tensions rose between the coalition partners over the matter of the federal budget as the PPP blamed the ruling PML-N for making unilateral decisions in policy-making without consulting with its key allies. Notably, the PPP is supporting the Shehbaz Sharif-led government from the outside and is not a part of the federal cabinet.

Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto held a meeting over the issue. Bilawal expressed his party's reservations on several issues before PM Shehbaz Sharif.

He complained despite being a major ally of the government, the PPP was being "ignored" and not being taken into confidence on matters related to the federal government, especially in the budget-making process, and also in Punjab province. PM Shehbaz Sharif assured the PPP chairman of addressing the reservations. The PPP chief assured the premier that his party would help the federal government pass the federal budget from parliament.

This development comes at a time when Pakistan's economy is already reeling under rising debt. The Pakistan government has less than two weeks to get parliamentary approval as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has told the Pakistani authorities to include its guidelines in the budget, as reported by Geo News.

Pakistan has approached the US-based lender for a new bailout package, while the taxation measures announced by Federal Minister Mohammad Aurangzeb in the budget have been rejected by the trade bodies. However, the government has clarified that it has to meet the revenue targets to get the loan from the IMF. (ANI)

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