Government and PPP Reach Broad Agreement on Budget Proposals: Presidential Meeting Details Emerge
Islamabad – The inside story of a high-level meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari has emerged, revealing significant progress on federal budget discussions between the government and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
A government delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers, and Ministry of Finance officials, met PPP leaders at the Presidency. The meeting focused on the federal budget and other important national matters.
Upon arrival at the Presidency, President Asif Ali Zardari welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari led the party’s delegation during the discussions.
According to sources, both sides have reached a broad consensus on most of each other’s budget proposals, and the PPP has reportedly given a green signal for the budget’s approval. However, technical committees will continue consultations on some workable points.
Sources further said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated President Zardari on the Pakistan Peoples Party’s success in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, joking that “young Bilawal ran a better campaign than us.” In response, President Zardari reportedly smiled and remarked, “After all, he is someone’s son.”
The meeting was also attended by the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where discussions were held on the current situation in Azad Kashmir.
The development is being seen as a major step towards smoother passage of the upcoming federal budget amid political coordination between the coalition partners.
