Pakistan, June 19 -- PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Thursday that the federal government had promised that allocations for provinces under the 7th National Finance Commission (NFC) award would be "protected", and that the Centre would not request any further "help or sacrifice" following the recent decision to freeze development allocations for the provinces.

Bilawal joined the budget debate a day after he held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is reported to have convinced the head of his coalition partner PPP to attend the budget session in the NA.

"The provinces' NFC award and financial resources have been kept protected; no damage will be caused to them," Bilawal declared while addressing the NA, whic...