PTI-SIC to chalk out protest strategy in pre-budget meeting today – M Haris

• SIC parliamentary meeting summoned at 11am today.
• Parliamentarians to also attend lunch at KP House.
• Huddle to also mull over securing PTI founder’s release.

ISLAMABAD: With the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government set to present its budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) is set to meet today to formulate its protest strategy, sources told Geo News.

The meeting of the parliamentary party of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf backed SIC has been summoned at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House at 11:30am.

The huddle, also provisioning a lunch for the parliamentarians, will mull over budget speech, protest tactics and the release of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, the sources added.

The meeting will be attended by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, SIC Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza and PTI leaders including Asad Qaiser, Amir Dogar Ali Muhammad Khan, Zartaj Gul and all NA members of the alliance.

After lunch, the members would then leave for the Parliament House at 2pm.

The development comes as Finance Minister Mohammad Aurangzeb is due to unveil the much-awaited Rs18.5 trillion budget today as the government aims to secure a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, according to a The News report.

PPP unhappy

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has expressed reservations over the budgetary proposals finalised by the ruling Nawaz-led party for the FY25.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, PPP Information Secretary Shazia Marri said that the PPP’s parliamentary party held an important session under the chair of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to discuss the budget 2024-25.

The party lawmakers conveyed their reservations to the top leadership, Marri said.

“We are facing difficulties due to the federal government’s attitude towards the PPP,” said Marri, adding that her party would face a difficult situation if farmers are not given relief in the upcoming budget.

“We were hoping that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would be aware of our position,” Marri said. She added that the federal government did not meet those demands which were “agreed with the PPP”.

She announced that the PPP parliamentarians will gather, again, in another key session at 2:30 on Wednesday (today) to discuss the federal budget.

To a question, she reiterated that the Bilawal-led party was not going to join the PML-N government’s federal cabinet.