Pakistan's federal government will present its annual budget for fiscal year 2025-26 on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's cabinet meeting also meeting the same day to finalize key economic decisions, including government employee salary increases and pension adjustments that affect millions of public sector workers.
The federal cabinet meeting at Parliament House will determine critical financial policies ahead of the budget presentation, including setting the minimum wage and reviewing revenue targets for the coming year, according to government sources. Finance Minister Aurangzeb will brief cabinet members on projected income goals for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Pakistan's National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, will convene at 5 p.m. Tuesday to receive the budget presentation, marking the start of a more than two-week legislative process to approve government spending priorities.
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has outlined an extensive parliamentary schedule extending through June 27, when the Finance Bill — the legal framework for the budget — is expected to receive final approval. The assembly will not meet Wednesday and Thursday, with formal budget discussions beginning Friday.
"The parliamentary parties present in the National Assembly will be given time for discussion as per the rules and regulations," Sadiq said, according to the National Assembly Secretariat's media directorate.
Approval will span multiple phases
The approval process will span multiple phases: budget discussions from June 13-21, followed by consideration of necessary expenditures for 2025-26 on June 23. The assembly will then debate and vote on spending demands and grant proposals on June 24-25, before approving the Finance Bill on June 26.
Pakistan's upper house, the Senate, will also convene tomorrow, at 6 p.m., under Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani to receive the budget after the National Assembly presentation.
The extended timeline is owed to Pakistan's bicameral parliamentary system, where both houses of the legislature must approve the federal budget. Any changes to the scheduled sessions require the Speaker's permission, Sadiq noted.
Final budget approval is scheduled for June 27, when lawmakers will address supplementary grants and other remaining financial matters.
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