Deadlock Deepens Between PPP and PML-N Over Federal Budget 2026-27

Updated: 6:02 PM PKT — June 4, 2026

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan warned that the party should not be pushed to the point where it is forced to exit the political system. Speaking at a corner meeting in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, he stated that if pressured further, PTI would be compelled to leave the assemblies and the Senate.

Barrister Gohar described preventing PTI from running its election campaign as “pre-poll rigging” and a conspiracy against democracy. He added that stopping party leaders and MNAs or expelling them from the province is unconstitutional.

Updated: 4:28 PM PKT — June 4, 2026

As Pakistan prepares for the federal budget for 2026-27, economic analysts are urging policymakers to shift from revenue extraction to a focus on poverty reduction and providing relief to citizens. Amid high inflation, insufficient economic growth, and rising poverty levels noted by institutions like the World Bank, questions are being raised about the effectiveness of fiscal policies that repeatedly increase the burden on an already strained population, particularly the compliant salaried class.

A key recommendation is to provide substantial income tax relief to salaried individuals while simultaneously broadening the country’s narrow tax base. Experts advocate for bringing untaxed and undertaxed sectors, such as large agricultural operations and parts of the retail and wholesale trade, into the formal system. Furthermore, a comprehensive review of preferential tax exemptions and concessions, which are estimated to cause revenue losses of PKR 4-6 trillion annually, is being called for to create a more equitable and effective fiscal policy.