Bilawal says budget FY25 could have been better if govt had consulted with PPP

• "Incumbent govt making efforts to steer country out of economic crisis".
• Politicians in Islamabad not ready to hold talks, says Bilawal Bhutto.
• Sindh govt to launch projects for providing jobs to youth: PPP chairman.

KARACHI: Key partner in the incumbent government, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday threw shade at the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), again, for “not consulting his party for budget FY25”.

Bilawal, while addressing an event on the occasion of Benazir Bhutto’s 71st birthday in Karachi’s Lyari Town on Friday, admitted that the "incumbent government is making all-out efforts to steer the country out of the economic crisis".

The former foreign minister, however, recommended the ruling Nawaz-led party to take its allies in confidence to finalise the federal budget. He added that the budget 2024-25 could have been better if the federal government had consulted with the PPP.

Political tensions rose between the coalition partners over the matter of the federal budget as the PPP blamed the ruling PML-N for making unilateral decisions in policy-making without consulting with its key allies.

Bilawal, the scion of the Bhutto family, also shed light on prevailing political instability and expressed sorrow, saying: “Politicians from Islamabad are not ready to hold talks and politics of hate is being spread in the society. Political parties are harming Pakistan for their ego.”

Despite differences on many fronts, he pinned hopes on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration for fulfilling its promises with the PPP. He showed high expectations for finding a political solution to the ongoing crisis and said that the "PPP representatives are holding negotiations" with the federal government in Islamabad.

The PPP chairman added: “Democratic powers should only hold talks with democratic powers to improve our democratic system.”

He suggested parties play a positive role in the betterment of the country via parliament. Bilawal was of the view that the country would come out of all crises whenever parties were united to make parliament the most powerful institution.

Bilawal promised that his party would never promote political infighting and use parliament as a platform to address public issues.

“All powers should interpret a message who think to end the Peoples Party by martyring Benazir Bhutto. Benazir is still alive among us and she is still forming and toppling governments from Garhi Khuda Bakhsh,” Bilawal said, adding that his party would fulfil Benazir’s dreams.

He praised Karachiites for giving a heavy mandate to the PPP for the third time. “I have asked Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to pay special attention to resolve issues of Karachi citizens,” he added.

He said that they witnessed positive outcomes of efforts made by CM Murad’s administration to maintain law and order in Karachi.

Highlighting the menace of power cut’ issue, the PPP stalwart said that "Sindh, Balochistan and South Punjab citizens are suffering 18-hour loadshedding". Giving a solution, he vowed to provide free-of-charge solar energy facilities to the deserving masses via a new project.

He added that the provincial government would also provide solar panels at subsidised rates to those citizens who could afford them. He also announced that the solar project would be expanded to across the province in five years.

The former FM said that the Sindh government would also launch projects to provide jobs to the youth.