The National Assembly budget session opened Friday with Speaker Ayaz Sadiq presiding, as Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is presenting the federal budget before the house.

Earlier, the PPP had said it would not boycott the session but that Bilawal and other senior leaders would stay away, citing an attempt to steal the party’s mandate in Gilgit-Baltistan. The party had said some of its lawmakers would participate in the national interest.

Bilawal had said it was not possible for the party to keep clapping while its mandate was being stolen.

A day earlier, high-level delegations of the PPP and PML-N had held a consultative meeting in Gilgit, discussing possible government formation formulas, political cooperation and other matters.

The PPP delegation reiterated that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan had given the party a clear mandate by making it the largest party in the region, and said all decisions on government formation would be taken in line with democratic principles and public interest.