Shehbaz Sharif govt will need the PPP's support to pass the budget as it lacks the required numbers in NA       PM Shehbaz Sharif (centre) meets senior PPP delegation including Sherry Rehman, CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah, Naveed Qamar and others in this undated image. — Screengrab via YouTube/Geo News/File

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday and discussed proposals for the upcoming federal budget for the fiscal year 2024-25.

The PPP delegation included former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Vice President PPP Parliamentarians and Parliamentary leader of the PPP in the Senate Sherry Rehman.

Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Adviser to PM on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah and Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar were also present.

They two sides discussed the overall political situation of the country and deliberated on the budget for FY2024-25 during the meeting. The budget is expected to be presented before the National Assembly on June 8.

The PPP delegation also raised the issue of formation of standing committees of the National Assembly and Senate.

According to sources, the PPP insisted that formation of the standing committees should be finalised before the upcoming budget. The visiting delegation told the PM the party had completed its homework for the standing committee and the delay was caused only by the government and the opposition parties.

Sources said the PPP delegation suggested bringing a poor-friendly budget and raising salaries and pensions of the government employees.

Sources said the Sindh CM raised the issue of release of funds for the projects of Sindh’s flood affected areas which were halted by the previous caretaker government. The delegation also discussed allocation of development funds from the Public Sector Development Projects for Sindh in the upcoming federal budget.

Sources said the PPP assured the government of its full support for the passage of the upcoming budget.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Sunday reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the Chinese stance on Taiwan, reiterating its commitment to the ‘One China’ policy.

“As an iron-brother and a strategic partner of China, Pakistan has always extended its principled support to the Chinese position on Taiwan and will continue to do so,” the prime minister wrote on his official X timeline.

He said the so-called elections or transition of the self-proclaimed government in Taiwan did not change the objective facts on the Taiwan issue.

“Pakistan adheres to ‘One China’ policy, regards Taiwan as an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China and supports the Chinese government’s efforts for national reunification,” the PM added.

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz Sharif Sunday appreciated Norway’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine in the wake of Israel’s atrocious military aggression and expressed the hope that the bold and principled decision by Norway, Spain and Ireland would encourage other countries to follow suit in recognising the statehood of Palestine.

The prime minister on his X account said he had an excellent telephone call with the prime minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Store. “Welcomed the recent ICJ decision ordering Israel to halt its heinous actions in Gaza & Rafah. Both Norway and Pakistan firmly believe that the UN-backed two-state solution offers the best path to lasting peace in the Middle East,” the PM further added.

He hoped the international community would pay similar attention to the plight of brave, innocent Kashmiris, who were also facing brutal occupation and oppression for the past 76 years.

In a related post on X, the prime minister said that in conversation with the Norwegian counterpart, they also exchanged views on Pakistan-Norway ties and expressed a shared desire to further strengthen their friendly and cordial relations, especially in trade and investment.

“Grateful to Norwegian PM for complimenting the Pakistani diaspora in Norway who are a bridge between both countries. Extended a warm invitation to PM Jonas Gahr Store to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at his earliest convenience,” he added.

Separately, Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani accepted PM Shehbaz Sharif’s invitation to visit Pakistan, marking a major breakthrough in the country’s diplomatic efforts.

In separate meetings of ambassadors of Kuwait and Qatar with the prime minister on Sunday, they presented the letters of their respective leaders, confirming their acceptance of invitation to visit Pakistan.

In a meeting, Ambassador of Kuwait Nassar Abdulrahman Jasser Al-Mutairi handed over the letter of the Emir of Kuwait to the prime minister, which conveyed the message to accept the invitation of the prime minister to visit Pakistan on the mutually agreed dates.

PM Shehbaz expressed his satisfaction that the next meeting of the Pakistan-Kuwait Joint Ministerial Commission was going to be held in Kuwait on May 28-30. He stressed to fully prepare the upcoming visit of the Kuwaiti Emir to Pakistan to ensure the mutually beneficial outcomes of the meeting.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s envoy to Pakistan Mubarak Ali Essa Al-Khater also called on the prime minister and presented him the letter from the Emir of Qatar conveying the message to accept the invitation to visit Pakistan on the mutually convenient dates. The prime minister, conveying his heartfelt gratitude to the Qatari Emir, emphasised that Pakistan deeply valued its historic brotherly relations with Qatar and reiterated Pakistan’s firm determination to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. He said that both sides should start preparations for the visit with an exchange of delegations between the two capitals to ensure that the high-level visit was productive and successful and results were beneficial for both the countries.