KARACHI: Pakistan will present its federal budget for fiscal year 2026-27 on June 10, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday, after government ministers and senior leaders of coalition partner Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) held a meeting in Islamabad.
Last month, President Asif Ali Zardari summoned parliament for the federal budget session on June 5. However, media reports indicated the budget was likely to be delayed, with Reuters citing government sources as saying that some fiscal measures remained under discussion with the International Monetary Fund.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said in a post on X that Dar and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met senior PPP leaders “as part of routine pre-budget consultations” earlier in the day.
“It was unanimously agreed to recommend to Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif @CMShehbaz that the Budget for fiscal year 2026–2027 be announced on Wednesday, 10 June 2026,” the social media post said after the meeting.
It said the discussions focused on current expenditure, development spending priorities, the Public Sector Development Program, fiscal sustainability, welfare measures and inclusive economic growth.
The meeting was attended by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, senior PPP leaders Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman and Saleem Mandviwala, as well as federal ministers and senior economic officials.
The budget is expected to outline the government’s fiscal plans for the coming year as Pakistan remains under a $7 billion IMF program that has helped stabilize the economy following a balance-of-payments crisis.
Pakistan’s Geo TV quoted the finance minister as saying the government’s discussions with coalition partners were positive, adding that another meeting was scheduled later this week.
Aurangzeb also said the government had to move forward in coordination with the IMF, coalition partners and other stakeholders.
