Sources stated that journalists boycotted Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s post-budget 2025-26 news conference in Islamabad today.
The journalists were demonstrating against the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) inability to give a technical briefing on the Finance Bill 2025-26, according to the information.
Yesterday’s briefing, which is customarily given to explain tax measures for media coverage, did not take place.
Attaullah Tarar, the minister of information, responded to the boycott by acknowledging the journalists’ concerns, calling their complaints “absolutely valid,” and reaffirming their right to demonstrate.
Tarar told the media that he regretted the situation and assured them that the FBR chairman would hold the promised technical briefing. According to Tarar, who joined the journalists in sympathy with their protest, “I will speak to them; the technical briefing must take place.”
The journalists’ boycott of the press conference came to an end after Tarar apologized and gave his promise.
Muhammad Aurangzeb, the finance minister, gave the National Assembly the Rs 17.573 trillion budget for 2025–2026 yesterday.
The finance minister praised Pakistan’s remarkable achievements against its adversaries and hailed the country’s political and military leadership. “Our armed forces responded to threats with full strength and demonstrated extraordinary capability,” he added.
“This is the second budget of the coalition government,” he said, highlighting the government’s achievement of a primary surplus of 2.4 percent of GDP. He pointed out that prompt policy actions had also resulted in a sharp decline in inflation to 4.7 percent.
