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Barbs fly during Sindh assembly budget session
KARACHI: Opposition slammed the fiscal budget 2025-26 as discriminatory and dubbed it 'the darkest budget in Sindh's history', while the treasury hailed the financial plan as balanced and pro-people, during the Sindh Assembly session on Tuesday.
Lawmakers from both the treasury and opposition benches also engaged in fiery exchanges during the budget debate that entered the second day as a tense atmosphere gripped the legislature
The session was chaired by Deputy Speaker Anthony Naveed.
Opening the floor, PPP MPA Yousuf Baloch praised Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and his team for crafting a people-centric budget in the face of stringent IMF conditions and limited funds. 'It was no easy task, but we relied on our own resources to ensure that the budget serves the people,' he remarked. He also defended Sindh's education performance, claiming it fared better than other provinces and would further improve through fresh teacher recruitment.
PPP lawmaker Hina Dastagir affirmed the Chief Minister's capacity to deliver for the public, while Arooba Rabbani said health and education had received special attention, including Karachi's academic institutions. She noted that Shahrah-e-Bhutto would be completed this fiscal year. 'PPP's work is always visible on the ground,' she said.
From the opposition benches, MQM's Faheem Patni lamented that no authority was responding to the severe public issues in his constituency. 'I've told my people that the PPP government will not provide them even drinking water,' he said. 'This budget won't change the lives of ordinary citizens— it will only benefit those who made it.'
PPP MPA Sarfraz Shah extended congratulations to the leadership for a 'commendable budget' and requested that a branch of NICVD be established in Naushero Feroze. He also called for reconstruction of flood-damaged schools.
MPA Khair-un-Nisa Mughal urged authorities to hand over vacant athlete hostels in Mirpurkhas to local universities and thanked Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon for launching the People's Bus Service there.
MQM's Moid Anver highlighted sewage water entering a cemetery in PS-101 Essa Nagri and lamented 'Karachi's marginalization' despite contributing 60% of federal revenues. 'PPP has done nothing for the people in its 17-year rule,' he asserted.
PPP MPA Pir Mujeeb ul Haq said all development in Sindh had happened under PPP's tenure, citing the 18th Amendment for increasing provincial budgets. He called for Sindh University's Dadu campus to be granted full university status and urged federal authorities to expedite the long-stalled Gaj Dam project.
PPP's Seema Khurram said the Benazir Hari Card continued to benefit thousands of farmers and congratulated the CM and his team on a progressive budget.
MPA Noor Muhammad Bhurgari noted incomplete roads in Badin and called for their completion.
Opposition MPA Naseer Ahmad criticised the government's neglect of Manghopir, claiming the area was treated 'like a foreign territory,' and accused PPP of enabling land mafias. 'They should rename themselves 'Pet Palan Party',' he quipped. PPP's Agha Siraj Durrani cautioned against personal attacks and reminded members to focus on policy matters, not party names.
Panel Chairperson Rehana Leghari expunged objectionable remarks made about PPP. PPP's Jam Shabbir Ali called for unity, emphasiwing that 'Karachi is the capital of Sindh and belongs to all of us.'
Faqeer Sher Muhammad criticised low budget allocation for the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway and suggested converting diesel-run RO plants in Thar to solar due to fuel shortages.
MQM's legislator Nasir Qureshi accused the government of under-funding Hyderabad's healthcare. He questioned why the President had to be flown to Karachi when the Gambat Institute exists and noted the ICU in Civil Hospital Hyderabad lacked beds.
In her speech, PPP's Saadia Javed said that a budget was more than just numbers. She lauded the party's health sector achievements but stirred controversy by referencing MQM's past association with Farooq Dada. Her remarks triggered uproar from MQM lawmakers, though the Deputy Speaker maintained she had not used any inappropriate language.
Saadia then remarked that MQM had yet to formally distance itself from its founder. She also referred to PTI's founding leader as a 'convicted former prime minister,' prompting protests from PTI members.
PPP's Rehana Leghari called for an end to hate-based politics and highlighted her colleague Heer Soho's marriage to an Urdu-speaking man as a symbol of unity. She reminded the House that regions like Thatta and Sujawal had historically contributed taxes to Karachi.
MQM lady lawmaker, Bilqees Mukhtar, said the budget crushed the poor and claimed that the 18th Amendment had turned the province into a centralised authority. 'Unless local governments are empowered, the public will see no real change,' she asserted. She demanded more powers for the mayor's office.
PPP's Dr Sikandar Shoro recommended initiating a crop insurance scheme and extending the IBA testing time for teachers. MPA Ali Ahmed praised the CM for a 'balanced budget' and shared that funds had been allocated for the Qatar Hospital, including the establishment of a trauma centre and a new 100-bed hospital in Orangi Town.
PTI's lawmaker, Sajid Hussain denounced the budget as unrealistic and anti-poor. 'Schools remain closed. People are dying of hunger and disease despite a hefty budget,' he said, citing encroachments on dispensaries in his constituency.
MQM's Aneel Kumar questioned the transparency of temple fund allocations and decried the lack of development schemes for non-Muslim communities in Umerkot, Tharparkar, and Mirpurkhas, where he claimed 90% of the population is non-Muslim.
PPP's Syed Ameer Ali Shah thanked the leadership for a 'people-centric budget,' citing completed road projects and calling for the full activation of the DHQ Hospital. MPA Shah Hussain Shah Shirazi emphasised the need to ensure resources reach the 'tail-end' areas.
Sher Muhammad Mughairi praised Pakistan Army's role in past wars and defended Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's international trips, saying they were aimed at presenting Pakistan's true image. He also requested the construction of storm water drains in his constituency.
During PPP MPA Ajaz Khan Swati's speech, PTI lawmakers created a commotion. Some PPP members were heard referring to the PTI founder as 'Prisoner No. 420,' prompting a rebuke from the Deputy Speaker, who asked members to refrain from such labels and address the Chair respectfully.
JI's Muhammad Farooq reminded the House of an advisory committee agreement that applied equally to all. He criticized PPP ministers for indirectly mocking the PTI leader. After a rebuttal by Saeed Ghani, Sharjeel Memon rose to say, 'Their prisoner isn't just No. 420.'
The debate continued with contributions from multiple MPs, including Heer Soho, who described the budget as a landmark for Sindh's development. The session was adjourned until 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
