Despite an earlier snub, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has once again urged the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to join hands in voting against the federal budget, 24NewsHD TV Channel reported on Wednesday.
According to sources, PTI leader Asad Qaiser recently contacted former National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf, inviting the PPP to stand with the opposition against the 2025–26 budget.
However, the PPP declined to formally respond and continued to participate in the parliamentary session, dealing a blow to the opposition's united front.
Previously, during the budget presentation, PPP had refused to align with PTI in a coordinated protest, effectively neutralising the opposition’s attempt to block the budget.
Speaking on the latest developments, Asad Qaiser said, “PPP is merely criticising the budget for a few development schemes. If they are genuinely against it, then they should vote with us. Otherwise, their opposition is just political theatrics.”
Qaiser emphasised that words without action amount to nothing, warning that if PPP fails to support the no-vote, their criticism will lack all credibility.
This ongoing tug-of-war underscores the fragmentation within the opposition ranks and raises questions about PPP’s actual stance on the budget, which it continues to critique publicly while staying politically non-committal in parliamentary votes.
On the other hand, the federal government of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has accepted many of its allied party, the PPP's, budget proposals and foiled the efforts of the opposition to boycott the budget session.
It is also pertinent to mention here that acknowledging the PML-N government's favour, PPP MNA Syed Naveed Qamar, while speaking in the National Assembly, thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar for accommodating key PPP and Sindh government budget proposals.
Qamar said the government accepted major demands raised by PPP lawmakers during the budget debate. He welcomed the reduction of the proposed sales tax on solar equipment from 18% to 10%, aligning with the party’s stance.
He also acknowledged the government’s decision to expand the mandate of the Pakistan Infrastructure Development Company Limited (PIDCL) to all provinces, instead of limiting it to Sindh, effectively addressing another PPP concern.