IMF to vet budget before cabinet

The government is set to deliberately violate an Act of Parliament by not securing the approval of the federal cabinet for the Budget Strategy Paper until the International Monetary Fund (IMF) gives its nod to the fiscal policy. This decision indicates that the finance ministry has prioritised the IMF bureaucracy over the elected representatives of the people, who sit in the federal cabinet and the standing committees of Finance of the National Assembly and the Senate. Sources within the Ministry of Finance informed The Express Tribune that the government has shelved a plan to obtain approval for the Budget Strategy Paper 2025-27 by May 10th – the statutory deadline outlined in the Public Finance Management Act.