Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Tuesday announced the government will “likely” present the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2026-27 in Parliament on June 12 (Friday).
In a posting on X, he said summaries to convene the budget sessions in the National Assembly and Senate on June 10 (Wednesday) had been sent. It has been advised to summon the Senate session at 4 p.m. and the NA at 5 p.m., he added.
Chaudhry’s announcement brings to an end persistent uncertainty over the presentation of the budget, as the government has struggled to evolve consensus on the document with coalition partners, the provincial governments, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The impasse is perceived to be primarily responsible for the government deferring a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), which deliberates on allocations ahead of the budget, thrice.
The announcement followed a meeting between senior officials of the government and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led the PMLN team, while Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, with President Asif Ali Zardari in the chair, led the PPP.
Reportedly, the two parties have reached consensus on the broad framework of the federal budget, especially the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) and the development budget. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal told media after the meeting that top-level political consultations and delegation-level talks would continue to address the remaining points of contention.
According to a statement issued by the Presidency, Zardari emphasized the need to prioritize public welfare, provincial rights, and economic stability in the upcoming budget. He urged maximum efforts to align economic growth with public welfare schemes.
Earlier, Adviser on Finance to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muzammil Aslam claimed the center had informed the provinces there would be no increase to their financial shares under the National Finance Commission, adding any amount above the current year’s share would have to be returned to the center.
He claimed the provinces had protested this, noting it would push their budgets into deficit, and were advised to freeze salaries and limit development schemes to make up the shortfall.