PPP says it is not boycotting budget session, confirms Bilawal will stay away

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party on Friday rejected reports that it had decided to boycott the federal budget session, while confirming that party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would not attend the proceedings.

In a post on X, the party said it remained part of the budget process despite Bilawal’s absence from the sitting. The statement came after reports circulated that the PPP, following a meeting of its parliamentary party in Islamabad, had opted to stay away from the budget session and that Bilawal had left Parliament for home.

"The PPP has not decided to boycott the budget session. Chairman Bilawal will not participate in the budget session, but some members will. Under national interest, the PPP will be part of the budget process"

Earlier, Bilawal told reporters that the Gilgit-Baltistan election would not be taken away. Soon after speculation about a possible boycott emerged, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar visited Bilawal at his Parliament office. Senator Sherry Rehman and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar were also present at the meeting.

Budget due in National Assembly

The federal government is due to present a consolidated budget of Rs17.5 trillion, or about $61 billion, for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The spending plan is being framed under strict International Monetary Fund austerity requirements and seeks to combine fiscal restraint with structural measures agreed with the lender, while also offering support for the poorest segments of the population and limited salary increases for government employees.

The budget was delayed and that Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb would lay the proposals before the National Assembly for the fiscal year beginning next month. The government was preparing revenue-enhancing and expenditure-cutting steps while attempting to protect lower-income groups.

The budget was being unveiled at a time when a large section of the population was still feeling the impact of the Iran-US war, with no sign of the conflict subsiding.

Numbers in the National Assembly

The National Assembly has 336 seats in total, but with 10 vacancies, the current strength of the house stands at 326. The ruling alliance presently has the support of 237 lawmakers.

Within the coalition, the PML-N holds 125 seats, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement 22, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid 5, and the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party 4. The Pakistan Muslim League-Zia, Balochistan Awami Party and National Party have one member each, while four independent lawmakers also back the government.

The PPP, with 74 members, is the coalition’s second-largest party, and its support has been important for the government in securing both a simple majority and, when needed, a two-thirds majority. On the opposition side, the benches total 89 members, including 75 independents, 10 from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-Pakistan), and one member each from the Sunni Ittehad Council, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen, Balochistan National Party-Mengal and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.