ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday held an important meeting, where key issues were discussed, including the evolving situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and concerns about the budget proposal.
The statement issued by the media wing of the President Office stated that delegations from both the PPP and the ruling PML-N discussed national security, internal, and regional situations.
Moreover, the meeting also discussed the economy, budget for the next fiscal year, recent elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, situation in Azad Kashmir, law and order, and issues of national importance.
“Talking about budget proposals and public relief, the President stressed prioritizing public welfare, rights of provinces, and economic stability in the federal budget,” the statement reads.
During the meeting, President Zardari directed that every effort should be made to harmonize growth rate and public welfare schemes in the upcoming budget.
In addition, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi briefed the President about his recent visit to Iran and regional diplomatic relations.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah were present in the meeting.
From the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Prime Minister of AJK Raja Faisal Rathore, and MNA Raja Pervez Ashraf, Senator Sherry Rehman, MNA Syed Naveed Qamar, Senator Saleem Mandviwala, and Senator Rahad Cheema attended the meeting.
According to the sources, the PPP has assured the federal government of its support in passing the federal budget.
ruling party and the PPP have agreed on most of each other’s budget proposals, while technical committees will continue the consultation process on some workable points to finalise the budget bill, sources said.
The federal government had announced that the budget for fiscal year 2026-27 will now be presented on June 10, after being rescheduled from June 5 due to objections raised by coalition partners.
