Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday emphasized that the government’s main priority in the upcoming federal budget for 2025–26 is to provide meaningful relief to ordinary citizens. He stressed that all available resources will be mobilized to ease the financial burdens on the poor and middle class.
Chairing a key meeting on budget preparations, the prime minister instructed his team to shape the budget around goals of sustainable, export-driven growth. He underlined the need for initiatives that strengthen industries, boost production, and support economic sectors with high growth potential.
“The budget should strongly emphasize job creation, agriculture, information technology, small and medium enterprises, and the housing sector,” he said, adding that cooperation between the government and the private sector is essential for national development and prosperity.
Shehbaz Sharif highlighted that public-private partnerships and youth vocational training are among the government’s core priorities. He noted that ongoing reforms in the power sector are starting to yield positive results, particularly the reduction in electricity prices for industries, which is expected to stimulate industrial growth.
The prime minister also pointed to the government’s push for automation and digitization to increase transparency and make it easier for businesses and investors to operate. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to rightsizing the federal administration in the next fiscal year to streamline its functions.
During the meeting, officials shared that consultations with the private sector on budget matters had been underway for the past three months, alongside sessions with various stakeholders.
It was also revealed that the five-year trade policy framework for 2025–30 and the updated e-commerce 2.0 framework would soon be finalized, and a comprehensive plan for tariff rationalization is currently in development.
A delegation of business leaders and economic experts expressed confidence in the government’s economic direction and shared their recommendations. The prime minister welcomed their input and directed his team to incorporate feasible suggestions into the final budget.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Jam Kamal Khan, Shaza Fatima, Sardar Awais Ahmad Leghari, and Ali Pervaiz Malik, as well as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar and other senior government officials.
