ISLAMABAD: Though loud and traditional protests by the opposition led by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) failed to derail the maiden budget presentation by the coalition government led by the PML-N, it was the eleventh-hour move by its key ally PPP, which took the wind out of the ruling party’s sails, forcing it to delay the proceedings for nearly two hours. According to the PPP, the decision to initially boycott the budget session was made due to an alleged violation of a power-sharing agreement it had reached with the PML-N after the Feb polls. It also claimed the PML-N bypassed it in the budget preparation. However, it agreed to have a “token representation” after a last-minute intervention by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who assured the PPP that its grievances would be addressed. As this drama unfolded, the confident finance minister remained standing for nearly 20 minutes ready to deliver his budget speech even before the session could formally kick-start. But the SIC members did not require the start of formal proceedings to record their “protest” through loud slogans and desk-thumping. The session only started when Ishaq Dar led PPP leaders Khursheed Shah, Naveed Qamar, and Ijaz Jakharani into the hall.
Unlike past practice, the budget documents were not placed on the tables of the MNAs and they were told to collect them after the session from the legislation branch.
When contacted, a senior official of the NA Secretariat told Dawn that this step had been taken to prevent the members possibly using the voluminous budget books as projectiles during their protest inside the assembly.
Source: gnnhd.tv/news
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
