ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will present the financial year 2024/25 annual budget on June 10, two government sources said on Friday, ahead of seeking a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan.
The budget was originally due to be presented on June 7 but was delayed because of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Beijing from June 4 to June 8, said the two sources, a top official at the finance ministry and an official close to the prime minister.
They spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to disclose the information.
The information ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Finance Minister Muhammad Auragzeb, who will be accompanying Sharif to Beijing, will present the budget, which the finance ministry official said would be one of the most crucial ahead of a new loan from the IMF.
An IMF mission held two weeks of technical and policy level talks with Pakistani officials before it left last week to discuss fiscal consolidation measures to lay the groundwork for the new loan.
The talks made significant progress toward reaching a staff-level agreement for an extended fund facility, the IMF said after concluding the talks.
The IMF had opened discussions on the new loan program after Islamabad completed a short-term $3 billion program, which had helped stave off a sovereign debt default last summer.
Pakistan is likely to seek at least $6 billion under the new program and request additional financing from the IMF under the Resilience and Sustainability Trust.
Pakistan’s federal budget to be presented on June 10
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Pakistan’s federal budget to be presented on June 10
- The budget was originally due to be presented on June 7 but was delayed because of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Beijing on June 4-8
- Finance Minister Muhammad Auragzeb will present the budget, which official says will be one of the most crucial ahead of a new loan from the IMF
Daesh media chief for ISKP in Pakistan’s custody — state media
- Sultan Aziz Azzam, a senior member of ISKP, used to head its Al Azzam media outlet, says state media
- Azzam was arrested in May while attempting to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan, says state media
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have taken into custody Sultan Aziz Azzam, the head of Daesh regional affiliate ISKP’s media outlet, state media reported on Thursday citing intelligence sources.
The state-run Pakistan TV Digital reported that Azzam was a senior member of ISKP and hailed from Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. As per the state media report, he is also a graduate of the University of Nangarhar where he studied Islamic jurisprudence.
Pakistan TV Digital reported Azzam joined ISKP in 2016 and later became a prominent member of its leadership council.
“He was arrested in May 2025 while attempting to cross from Afghanistan into Pakistan,” Pakistan TV Digital reported, citing intelligence sources.
“He is believed to have overseen media operations and headed ISKP’s Al Azzam media outlet.”
In November 2021, Washington listed Azzam as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” (SDGT). The move bars American citizens from engaging in transactions with persons designated as SDGTs.
According to a report on the UN Security Council’s website, Azzam has played an “instrumental role” in spreading Daesh’s violent ideology, glorifying and justifying “terrorist acts.”
“Building on his former experience as an Afghan journalist, his activity as ISIL-K’s spokesperson has increased ISIL-K’s visibility and influence among its followers,” the report states.
The report further states Azzam claimed responsibility on behalf of Daesh for the suicide attack near Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021, which killed at least 170 Afghans and 13 US service members and injured 150 more.
The development takes place amid tense relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Islamabad alleging militants use Afghan soil to carry out attacks against Pakistan. Kabul denies the allegations.
Tensions surged in October when Pakistan and Afghanistan engaged in fierce border clashes, claiming to have killed dozens of soldiers of the other side.
Pakistan has urged the Afghan Taliban-led government to take “decisive action” against militants it says operate from its soil. Afghanistan says it cannot be held responsible for Pakistan’s security challenges.
