Federal Budget Presentation Delayed: Pushed to June 12 Amid Intense Centre-Province Fiscal Deadlock

ISLAMABAD — The federal government has officially postponed the presentation of the FY2026-27 federal budget from June 10 to Friday, June 12, 2026. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry confirmed that summaries to convene the formal assembly have been sent to the Presidency. The delay exposes a grueling backdoor political deadlock as the federal government, its coalition partners, and provincial administrations scramble for a consensus. The Centre is demanding a massive Rs1.2 trillion fiscal cushion for strategic needs, sparking intense pushback from provinces that argue freezing their National Finance Commission (NFC) shares will plunge localized provincial balance sheets into extreme deficits.