Karachi [Pakistan], Amid the dispute over the federal budget in Pakistan, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari again attacked his coalition partner, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML). -N), for "not consulting them" for the budget, Geo News reported.
Bilawal addressed an event to mark his mother Benazir Bhutto's 71st birthday in Karachi's Lyari town on Friday.
He said that "the current government is making all possible efforts to bring the country out of the economic crisis."
The former foreign minister, however, urged the ruling PML-N to rely on its allies to finalize the federal budget. He added that the 2024-25 budget could have been "better" if the federal government had consulted with the PPP.
In particular, political tensions between coalition partners over the federal budget issue increased as the PPP blamed the ruling PML-N for making unilateral policy-making decisions without consulting its key allies.
Notably, the PPP supports the Shehbaz Sharif-led government from outside and is not part of the federal cabinet.
Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto held a meeting on the issue.
Bilawal expressed his party's reservations on several issues before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He complained that, despite being an important ally of the government, the PPP was being "ignored" and not trusted in matters related to the federal government, especially in the budget-making process, and also in the province of Punjab.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured the PPP chairman that he would address the reservations. The PPP chief assured the prime minister that his party would help the federal government in passing the federal budget from parliament.
This comes at a time when Pakistan's economy is already reeling from rising debt.
Pakistan's government has less than two weeks to get parliamentary approval as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has told Pakistani authorities to include its guidelines in the budget, Geo News reported.
Pakistan has asked the US lender for a fresh bailout package, while fiscal measures announced by federal minister Mohammad Aurangzeb in the budget have been rejected by trade bodies.
However, the government has clarified that it has to meet revenue targets to get the IMF loan.
Bilawal addressed an event to mark his mother Benazir Bhutto's 71st birthday in Karachi's Lyari town on Friday.
He said that "the current government is making all possible efforts to bring the country out of the economic crisis."
The former foreign minister, however, urged the ruling PML-N to rely on its allies to finalize the federal budget. He added that the 2024-25 budget could have been "better" if the federal government had consulted with the PPP.
In particular, political tensions between coalition partners over the federal budget issue increased as the PPP blamed the ruling PML-N for making unilateral policy-making decisions without consulting its key allies.
Notably, the PPP supports the Shehbaz Sharif-led government from outside and is not part of the federal cabinet.
Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto held a meeting on the issue.
Bilawal expressed his party's reservations on several issues before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He complained that, despite being an important ally of the government, the PPP was being "ignored" and not trusted in matters related to the federal government, especially in the budget-making process, and also in the province of Punjab.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured the PPP chairman that he would address the reservations. The PPP chief assured the prime minister that his party would help the federal government in passing the federal budget from parliament.
This comes at a time when Pakistan's economy is already reeling from rising debt.
Pakistan's government has less than two weeks to get parliamentary approval as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has told Pakistani authorities to include its guidelines in the budget, Geo News reported.
Pakistan has asked the US lender for a fresh bailout package, while fiscal measures announced by federal minister Mohammad Aurangzeb in the budget have been rejected by trade bodies.
However, the government has clarified that it has to meet revenue targets to get the IMF loan.
