ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will unveil the Pakistan Economic Survey (PES) 2025-26 today (Thursday), providing a comprehensive overview of the country’s economic performance during the outgoing fiscal year ahead of the presentation of the federal budget.
The annual survey serves as the government’s key economic report, outlining developments across major sectors of the economy and assessing progress made during the fiscal year.
Khurram Schehzad, adviser to the finance minister, announced on Wednesday that the survey will be launched at the Pakistan Secretariat in Islamabad at 2:20 p.m., a day before the federal budget is scheduled to be presented on June 12.
The budget’s presentation has already been delayed twice. Initially scheduled for June 5, it was later moved to June 10 before being postponed again to June 12. According to Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, the delays stem from ongoing consultations with coalition partners over key budgetary matters.
The upcoming budget is expected to focus heavily on revenue generation and fiscal reforms as Pakistan seeks to meet commitments under its $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.
Budget discussions have highlighted differences among political stakeholders regarding taxation policies, social welfare spending, and the allocation of resources between the federal government and the provinces.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a major coalition partner of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government, has emphasized the need for a people-friendly budget. Party leaders have also opposed any reduction in provincial allocations under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
The NFC Award is a constitutional mechanism that governs the distribution of federal tax revenues among Pakistan’s provinces. Provincial governments depend significantly on these transfers to finance essential public services, including education, healthcare, and infrastructure development.
As the government works to maintain fiscal discipline under the IMF programme, it is also under pressure to provide tax relief and increase social spending. Officials say the IMF has urged Pakistan to introduce at least Rs430 billion ($1.5 billion) in additional fiscal measures in the upcoming budget, while seeking a comparable fiscal contribution from the provinces.
