Govt, PPP Bigwigs to Meet Today to Resolve Budget Deadlock

ISLAMABAD: The government has mobilized efforts to resolve a deadlock over the upcoming federal budget with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), ARY News reported, citing sources.

According to sources, a high-level meeting between government officials and the PPP leadership is scheduled to take place today, Monday.

The session had previously been postponed due to the absence of the Federal Minister for Interior, Mohsin Naqvi, who was on an official visit to Iran; however, he is set to attend today’s meeting following his return to the country.

The meeting will be held at the President’s House and is expected to be attended by President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

The PPP delegation will also include senior leaders such as former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Syed Naveed Qamar, and Sherry Rehman.

Meanwhile, PPP sources indicated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also likely to participate in the huddle.

Representing the government side, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal will attend the meeting.

Insiders suggest that this high-profile sitting is highly likely to break the budget deadlock between the two sides.