ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has said that the presentation of the federal budget for the next fiscal year (FY2026-27) has been pushed to June 10.
His clarification comes after country’s media outlets reported on Tuesday that the budget would not be presented on June 5 (Friday), for which sessions of both houses of Parliament were summoned.
Giving the reason for postponing the budget presentation during a TV programme, Chaudhry said, “The initial proposal for the budget was June 5, [but] now, the budget will be released on June 10, God willing.”
He confirmed that the new date for the budget announcement was June 10 (Wednesday).
Elaborating further on reasons for the delay, Chaudhry stressed that one of the two main steps in the budget process was “convincing the allies” in the ruling coalition.
However, he played down the impression of any differences between the PML-N and the PPP, terming the latter’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari a “very good ally of ours”.
“No additional legislation before budget”
The minister also refuted media reports of the government planning to pass some additional legislation that would impact the upcoming federal budget.
“There is not even one percent truth in this. This is a rumour. No legislation is taking place before the budget,” Fazal declared, reiterating that the budget presentation was delayed for consultations between the allies.
The upcoming budget is believed to be formulated under the tight oversight of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which last month discussed the “budget strategy” with authorities during its visit to Pakistan.
