As the ruling PDM and opposition PTI are finally engaged in political negotiations regarding the date of the upcoming general elections, insiders say the PTI's biggest concern is that if the National Assembly is not dissolved soon, then the PDM could present a budget that would prove to be a yorker for PTI if it wins the elections.
On Friday, PTI leader and former federal minister for economic affairs Hammad Azhar tweeted that the budget for the next financial year should be designed wisely and should involve consultation with "multilaterals", in an oblique reference to international financial institutions such as the IMF, which right now is the solitary lifeline keeping Pakistan's economy from defaulting.
"It is important that finance minister Ishaq Dar stops playing games with the economy," he said, alleging that the PDM government had "already inflicted massive damage".
https://twitter.com/Hammad_Azhar/status/1651865283055738881
It is now becoming clear that PTI expects to form the next federal government, which is why it wants the next budget to be approved by the IMF. So it wants to ensure that the PDM follows the IMF recommendations for the budget. But for PTI, the ideal situation would be if the PDM dissolves the National Assembly before the budget is due.
Another senior PTI leader was also quoted as saying, "The real issue is the budget for the next financial year. We want the budget to be presented by the caretaker government or the new government because the current rulers want to present a political budget for the next year which could be disastrous for the country".
Sources say the IMF is also waiting for the budget for the coming fiscal year 2023-24. If the PDM government introduces a 'political budget', it is possible that the IMF could revoke all financial assistance.