Budget approved with consensus of all allies, Iqbal responds to Bilawal’s warning

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said that all parties of ruling alliance including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had assented to the 2023-24 federal budget unveiled last week.

He made these remarks a day after PPP Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari publicly criticised the government’s economic team saying promised funds for flood victims were not allocated in the budget.

“I have no doubt on prime minister’s intention...but members of his [PM Shehbaz Sharif] team are not fulfilling their promises and prime minister should hold them answerable,” the PPP chief had remarked at the public gathering in Swat.

He also warned that his party, which is a key ally of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N)-led coalition government at the Centre, cannot vote for the budget in parliament without the allocation of funds for flood victims rehabilitation.

Responding to Bilawal’s warning earlier today in a conversation with Geo News, the planning minister said the PPP-backed Sindh CM’s objections over the budget were removed by the economic team.

He questioned why objections are being raised now when the budget was approved with consensus in the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting.

Similarly, he said the federal cabinet also approved the budget.

Iqbal said some funds were also increased in the budget on the demand of CM Murad and added that most of the Rs80 billion funds for flood victims was given to Sindh.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the planning minister said there were trying to make all decisions with the consensus of all allies.

He said the input of all allies were included in the preparation of the budget.

Finance Minister Dar unveiled an Rs14.5 trillion (around $50.5 billion) budget on June 9, with over half set aside to service Rs7.3 trillion of debt, raising concerns from various stakeholders about the economy's future.