PM Shehbaz, Bilawal to meet today as coalition strains heighten over budget

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to meet with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari after tensions within the ruling coalition

Tensions within the ruling coalition have heightened over the federal budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) expressing discontent over its exclusion from the PSDP budget, sources told The Express Tribune.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will meet with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari today to discuss the matter, as the PPP prepares to directly voice its concerns to the premier.

The meeting is set to take place at the Prime Minister’s House at 4 PM, where Bilawal is expected to raise the issue of the budget, sources added.

However, Bilawal will maintain his absence from the National Assembly’s budget session, and the PPP chairman will take the next step based on the results of the meeting with the premier, sources said.

If the meeting is successful, they added, there will be full participation in the session; otherwise, the parliamentary party will determine the course of action.

In this regard, insiders also said, PPP’s participation in today's budget session will also be symbolic.

PPP has nominated four members for token participation in the National Assembly session. Among those participating in the session will be Qadir Patel, Shabbir Ali Bijarani, Colonel Asad Niazi, and Agha Rafiullah.

It is pertinent to note that the PPP’s absence from the National Assembly’s budget session on June 12 was a clear sign of discontent.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had to make a beeline for Bilawal’s chamber to persuade the PPP to participate in the proceedings. However, Bilawal only sent three of his MNAs—Naveed Qamar, Khursheed Shah, and Ijaz Jakhrani—to represent the party.

The PPP feels that the PML-N has not only strayed from their post-election agreement but is also starting to take the PPP for granted.