ISLAMABAD: The federal government has scheduled the presentation of the 2026-27 budget in the National Assembly for June 12, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry announced on Tuesday.
He said Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will present the federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year before the lower house of parliament.
The announcement marks a further adjustment to the budget schedule. The federal government had earlier decided to present the budget on June 10 after postponing it from June 5 amid consultations with coalition partners and discussions on proposed budgetary measures.
The development comes a day after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key ally in the Centre, assured the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government of its support for the passage of the federal budget, sources told Geo News.
The assurance was conveyed during a high-level consultative meeting between a PPP delegation led by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad.
According to sources, the two sides reached broad agreement on most budget proposals, while technical committees will continue consultations on a few remaining issues to finalise the fiscal framework.
During the meeting, President Zardari emphasised the need to prioritise public welfare, provincial rights and economic stability in the upcoming budget, according to a statement issued by the President's House Secretariat.
He also directed that economic growth measures be aligned with public welfare initiatives.
Parliamentary sources had earlier told Geo News that the delay in the budget presentation stemmed from coalition partners' objections to certain proposed measures, prompting the government to continue consultations before finalising the budget.
Last week, Finance Minister Aurangzeb said the government was working to build consensus among coalition partners, describing the discussions as positive.
He added that the budget was being prepared in coordination with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), allied parties and other stakeholders, with a focus on improving tax administration through enforcement measures and broadening the tax base.
The finance minister also said the government was striving to avoid imposing new taxes while balancing fiscal consolidation, political consensus and economic stability.
Under constitutional requirements, the budget must be passed before June 30 to take legal effect from July 1 across the country.
The federal government has proposed a development budget of more than Rs1.1 trillion for the upcoming financial year 2026-27, according to budget documents detailing the sector-wise allocation of development spending.
