Journalists boycott post-budget pressor for skipping finance bill briefing

ISLAMABAD: Journalists staged a walkout from Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s post-budget 2025-26 press conference in Islamabad today, ARY News reported.

As per details, the journalist were protesting the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) failure to provide a technical briefing on the Finance Bill 2025-26.

The briefing, traditionally held to clarify tax proposals for media coverage, was not conducted yesterday.

Responding to the boycott, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar acknowledged the journalists’ concerns, stating their grievances were “absolutely valid” and affirming their right to protest.

Addressing the media, Tarar apologized and assured that the FBR chairman had committed to holding the technical briefing. “I will speak to them; the technical briefing must take place,” Tarar said, adding that he had joined the journalists in solidarity with their protest.

Following Tarar’s apology and assurance, the journalists ended their boycott of the press conference.

 

Yesterday, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented the Rs 17.573 trillion Budget for 2025-26 in the National Assembly.

The finance minister congratulated Pakistan’s military and political leadership, highlighting the country’s exceptional success against its enemies. “Our armed forces displayed extraordinary capability and responded to threats with full strength,” he said.

He stated this was the coalition government’s second budget and highlighted the government’s success in achieving a primary surplus of 2.4 percent of GDP. Inflation, he noted, had also significantly decreased to 4.7 percent due to timely policy measures.

Also read: LIVE: FinMin Aurangzeb addresses post-budget presser