Rana Sanaullah says opposition still welcome for budget talks

Federal Minister and Senator Rana Sanaullah has said that opposition leaders did not attend the budget meeting despite repeated invitations from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the federal budget, 24NewsHD TV reported on Friday.

Speaking to journalists after a cabinet meeting, he said that the prime minister had offered the opposition an opportunity for dialogue on the budget on three separate occasions.

Rana Sanaullah said the government remained committed to political engagement and consultation.

He noted that if opposition parties were unwilling to hold direct talks with government representatives, they could also engage through the Speaker of the National Assembly.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has always believed in dialogue and consensus-building, which is why the opposition has been invited several times for discussions,” he said.

The minister further stated that the doors of the Prime Minister’s House remain open and opposition leaders are still welcome to participate in talks on budget-related matters.

Rana Sanaullah was asked whether the meeting had discussed the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

He replied that the cabinet session focused solely on budget-related matters.

Commenting on the recent developments in Azad Kashmir, the minister said the situation had improved considerably over the past two days.

Referring to recent political engagements, Rana Sanaullah said that Sohail Afridi had recently met the prime minister and also attended a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) two days ago.

"It shows that communication channels between the federal government and provincial leadership remain active."