Says despite having reservations, PPP’s Parliamentary Party decided to support the finance bill.
Islamabad – The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) yesterday announced its decision to vote for the budget to prevent instability in the country. This decision was conveyed during a news briefing held by PPP leaders Shazia Marri and Syed Naveed Qamar after a meeting of the Parliamentary Party chaired by PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The meeting was also attended by Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari. Shazia Marri said that during the past two meetings, members of the Parliamentary Party had expressed their concerns about their constituencies to the chairman. The PPP leadership subsequently initiated discussions with the government to address these issues, acknowledging the challenges faced by the members in their respective constituencies, she added. Syed Naveed Qamar briefed journalists on the ongoing engagements between PPP and the government. He mentioned that an agreement formed between PPP and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) during the government formation post-election included PPP’s support for PML-N’s candidate for prime ministership.
This agreement encompassed 25 points, some of which were implemented while others remained ambiguous. Several negotiation rounds took place, involving the prime minister and Ishaq Dar at times, particularly addressing concerns over the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), he elaborated. He said there were hints by the government to accept some reservations of the PPP. Qamar said despite having reservations, the PPP Parliamentary Party decided to support the finance bill. He emphasized that failing to vote for the budget would result in the government’s collapse and lead to national instability, which PPP aims to avoid. He assured that with PPP’s support, the government now has sufficient numbers to pass the budget. Qamar expressed optimism that the points raised by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the assembly would be addressed by the government, and that discussions would continue to ensure their implementation.
