Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that detailed discussions have also been held with the provinces on generating more resources. Providing resources for defense is the government’s top priority, while additional resources are required to deal with the challenge of terrorism.
The meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Federal ministers and three chief ministers participated in the meeting, while Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz attended the meeting through video link. The National Economic Council (NEC) meeting approved the national development budget for the next fiscal year.
According to sources, the meeting approved the development budget of the federation and the provinces, while a detailed review of the development budget for the current fiscal year 2025-26 was also taken.
The meeting was briefed and presented on the Annual Development Plans (ADPs) of the provinces. The meeting also reviewed the Public Sector Investment Program for the upcoming fiscal year 2026-27, while the public sector investment for the current fiscal year was also considered.
According to sources, the meeting presented the progress report of the CDWP from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026, while a report on the approval of the schemes from ECNEC and ECNEC during the same period was also presented.
Addressing the meeting of the National Economic Council, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that despite the difficulties, efforts were made to implement the IMF program. The Prime Minister said that creating employment opportunities, increasing exports and overall economic improvement are the common responsibility of all of us. Due to the situation in the region, oil prices have increased rapidly in the global market.
The Prime Minister said that despite this challenge, the government provided relief of Rs 128 billion to the people in terms of oil prices. Long queues were seen at petrol pumps in many countries of the world, however, due to timely measures, the supply of petrol in Pakistan remained intact and the people did not face any difficulties.
He said that the provinces cooperated fully in this entire process, for which he is grateful to them. The government has made every effort to meet public expectations and consultations have been going on with the provinces for several weeks regarding the upcoming budget.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the entire nation, especially the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, are making sacrifices against terrorism and the services of the security forces are commendable. The scourge of terrorism must be eradicated unitedly and this challenge can be overcome only through mutual unity and consensus.
He said that he had a conversation with the Managing Director of the IMF last night, who appreciated Pakistan’s sincere economic efforts.
The Prime Minister said that to increase the gross national product, incentives must be given to various sectors of the economy so that the process of development can be accelerated and sustainable economic stability can be achieved.
Mentioning the illness of the Chief Minister of Punjab, he said that he could not attend the meeting due to ill health, and it is prayed that Allah Almighty grants him complete health soon.