Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader and Education Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has been made a member of the Economic Coordination Committee, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Thursday.

The statement said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved an increase in the number of ECC members. “Minister for Education Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has been included as a member of the ECC,” the statement said.

“I am hopeful that Siddiqui will play an active role as a member of the ECC and contribute fully to the progress and development of the country and the nation,” PM Shehbaz was quoted as saying.

The development comes a day after an MQM-P delegation, led by Siddiqui, called on the premier and presented the party’s proposals for the upcoming budget.

According to the PMO, detailed discussions were also held on public welfare and development projects being carried out in Sindh and Karachi under the federal government. The meeting also discussed the overall political situation in the country.

PM Shehbaz was quoted as saying that the party was an important coalition partner of the federal government and had consistently supported all initiatives aimed at public welfare.

He directed the relevant authorities to review the MQM-P’s budget proposals and formulate a feasible and comprehensive plan for consideration, the PMO statement said.

In 2025, PM Shehbaz had approved changes in the structure of the federal cabinet’s ECC, a key body responsible for handling urgent economic decisions and ensuring coordination among different government departments on financial and economic policy matters.

As part of the revised arrangement, the chairmanship of the ECC was assigned to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb instead of the traditional practice, where the finance minister would only preside over meetings without a formal restructuring of roles.

The ECC is considered the most important committee of the cabinet, with broad terms of reference that include reviewing urgent economic issues, coordinating economic policies across government divisions, and proposing measures for the country’s progress toward a welfare state.

It also monitors monetary and credit conditions, and makes recommendations for regulating credit in order to maximise production and exports while helping to prevent inflation.