Bilawal agrees to join budget debate after meeting with PM Shehbaz

The PPP leader was also reluctant to join the budget debate, and it took Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to convince him to come to the house so that the budget could be tabled. A source close to Bhutto-Zardari said the PPP leader still had reservations but agreed to deliver his speech in the lower house, most likely on Thursday (today), where he would share some of his concerns. In the meeting at the PM House, the premier agreed to address all the PPP concerns regarding the federal budget. A day earlier, the PPP chief had warned of the NA session’s boycott if their demands remained unmet. It was learnt that after the news was published in the print media that Mr Bhutto-Zardari would boycott the budget session, the prime minister contacted the PPP leader and invited him to a meeting to address their reservations regarding the budget. “Chairman Bilawal will join the ongoing budget debate by delivering his speech on the floor of the house tomorrow (Thursday),” a source close to the PPP chairman told Dawn after the meeting. The source said that the PPP chief was still unhappy despite agreeing to come to the house, adding that he would share his concerns and reservations in the budget speech. Another source, however, said all outstanding issues had been settled during the meeting between the two sides. The PPP leader also congratulated the premier on the US-Iran peace deal, mediated by Pakistan, set to be signed on the 19th.