Prime Minister Chairs High-Level Government Meeting

Updated: 12:53 PM PKT — June 3, 2026

Ahead of the upcoming budget, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assured top business leaders that the government is taking measures to bring the informal economy into the tax net. During a meeting with industrialists, the prime minister reiterated his commitment to an export-led growth strategy and a strong public-private partnership, stating the budget would also include public relief measures. The business delegation reportedly expressed confidence in the government’s economic direction, lauding recent moves such as reducing industrial electricity tariffs.

Updated: 9:18 AM PKT — June 3, 2026

Negotiations between the federal government and its key ally, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), over the upcoming budget have ended inconclusively. Sources report the PPP is aggrieved at not being taken into confidence on the budget’s details. The meeting at the Ministry of Finance failed to resolve the party’s concerns, though no constitutional amendments or changes to the NFC award were discussed.

A subsequent meeting between the government team and the PPP is scheduled for today in an attempt to break the deadlock. The budget session, originally planned for June 5, has been postponed. Compounding the government’s challenges, another coalition partner, MQM-Pakistan, has reportedly conditioned its approval of the budget on the appointment of Kamran Tessori as Governor of Sindh.