• Bilawal assures PML-N of support with budget; both sides likely to meet today for further negotiations
• PM told Punjab govt ‘creating difficulties’ for PPP; Tarar says ally’s reservations to be addressed via dialogue

ISLAMABAD: The purported differences bet­ween the PML-N and PPP on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year stood dissolved on Thursday after PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to assure him of his party’s support for the crucial finance bill.

Sources told Dawn that the differences have fizzled out, with both sides agreeing to support each other and cooperate on issues of mutual concern. According to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, some “minor” reservations had been expressed by the PPP, which would be resolved by the government through talks.

He said the government also formed a committee led by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to take up the issue with the PPP and would take the dialogue forward in light of the meeting between Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

On the other hand, PPP sources said the premier agreed with the party chairperson on most issues as the latter expressed annoyance with him for bypassing his party on budget matters. Mr Bhutto-Zardari complained that the PPP had joined the government under an agreement with which the PML-N did not comply. The PM also formed a committee to resolve the disagreement.

During the meeting, Mr Bhutto-Zardari told the premier that the PML-N government in Punjab was creating difficulties for the PPP in the province. According to insiders, a meeting between the committees of the government and the political party would likely be held on Friday (today) to proceed in light of the PM-Bilawal moot.

It may be noted that the PPP is not happy with the privatisation plan proposed by the PML-N to reform the state-owned entities. It has concerns about the development budget as well.

After the finance minister’s budget speech last week, PPP’s Vice President Sherry Rehman had issued a statement, saying the party had agreed to support the formation of the government in February in the “larger national interest” after intense negotiations. She said as part of their accord with the PML-N, the PSDP for all four provinces was to be “pre-agreed” with the government.

A statement issued by the PM’s Office after the meeting said that a PPP delegation led by its chairperson met the premier on Thursday. The premier was of the view that the budget would bring some relief to the poor and demanded that all allied parties work together.

“The prime minister highlighted that the macroeconomic indicators with regard to the country’s economy were showing encouraging growth while a historic boom in the stock market was the endorsement of the government’s budget by the business community,’’ the statement added. PM Shehbaz said all political parties should work together to ensure the country’s development, prosperity and public welfare. He told the meeting that in the budget 2024-25, the government had taken steps to “provide maximum relief” to the people.

The PPP delegation included Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Syed Khursheed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, and Sherry Rehman. The meeting was also attended by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, PM’s aide Rana Sanaullah, Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik, and Khawaja Saad Rafique.

PPP-PML-N alliance

The PPP is the major ally of the PML-N coalition government but refused to join the federal cabinet in exchange for some key constitutional positions, including the office of the president, Senate chairman, and two governors — Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On the day of the budget session, the PPP decided to boycott it saying it had not been taken on board. However, it agreed to send three MNAs as a token representation after Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar spent significant time addressing their concerns, delaying the budget session for over an hour.

On Thursday, PM Shehbaz in his meeting with Mr Bhutto-Zardari agreed to resolve the concerns of the PPP as he did not want to “keep the PPP annoyed anymore”.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2024