KARACHI, Jun 23 (APP):The Provincial Assembly of Sindh on Tuesday also continued discussion on budget proposals for the next financial year 2026-27. The session started with recitation of Holy Quran and Naat Sharif with Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah in the chair. The Provincial Ministers, including Drm Azra Pechuho, Sharjeel Inam Memon, Syed Sardar Shah, Makhdoom Mehboobuz Zaman, Muhammad Bux Mahar, Jam Khan Shoro and others. Members of the Provincial …
Sindh Assembly continues discussion on budget proposals for next financial year 2026-27
KARACHI, Jun 23 (APP):The Provincial Assembly of Sindh on Tuesday also continued discussion on budget proposals for the next financial year 2026-27. The session started with recitation of Holy Quran and Naat Sharif with Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah in the chair.
The Provincial Ministers, including Drm Azra Pechuho, Sharjeel Inam Memon, Syed Sardar Shah, Makhdoom Mehboobuz Zaman, Muhammad Bux Mahar, Jam Khan Shoro and others. Members of the Provincial Assembly belonging to the treasury and opposition benches also spoke on the occasion.
They highlighted the performance and issues of their areas and also gave heated speeches. Sindh Minister for Irrigation, Planning and Development Jam Khan Shoro, while speaking on the floor of the house, said that Kotri Barrage is Sindh’s last barrage and due to severe water shortages, the required supply of water for agriculture is not being provided.
He said that the Chief Minister of Sindh has also written a letter regarding the water shortage, while Sindh has faced a 48 percent reduction in water supply. He said that the Pakistan Peoples Party’s Sindh government has been continuously protesting for water rights, but the opposition has not spoken even a single word on this critical issue.
Shoro said that some people claim water flowing into the sea is wasted, whereas this water is essential for the survival of Sindh’s delta and coastal areas.
He noted that millions of acres of agricultural land have already been swallowed by the sea and districts like Thatta, Sujawal and Badin are severely affected due to insufficient water flow from the Indus River.
He emphasized that an adequate water supply from the Indus River to the Indus Delta is indispensable.
Speaking about Karachi, he said that laying pipelines in the city is not an easy task, but the government is taking steps to provide better facilities to the citizens.
He informed that nine filtration plants are being planned for Karachi, while 188 development projects in the city have already been completed.
The Minister said that wherever negligence was found in the Yellow Line project, those responsible were held accountable. He added that a target has been set to complete 2,000 development projects in the coming year.
He criticized the opposition for failing to play an effective role and said they should apologize to the Assembly for the inappropriate language used in the House.
He remarked that instead of a serious debate on the budget, politics of rhetoric was carried out in the Assembly. He added that on one hand, some call themselves “sons of Sindh,” while on the other, they talk about dividing Sindh. According to him, some parties are fueling ethnic politics because their political relevance has ended.
He further informed that development projects worth Rs 1.9 trillion, funded through foreign financing, are underway for Karachi.
Sindh Minister for Agriculture, Anti-Corruption, Sports & Youth Affairs Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Khan Mahar, while speaking, expressed strong anger over IRSA’s behavior and said that by not releasing Sindh’s full share of water, a grave injustice has been committed against the province’s farmers, which is absolutely unacceptable.
He demanded that Sindh’s constitutional and legal right to have two members’ representation in IRSA must be ensured.
Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mahar said that currently, due to severe water shortage in Ghotki, crop cultivation has been badly affected, leaving farmers in great distress.
He added that now is the time to promote modern technology, scientific research and effective policies in agriculture, while preventing agricultural lands from being converted into commercial plots.
The Provincial Minister informed that under the instructions of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 391,832 small farmers have so far been issued Benazir Hari Cards. Similarly, under the Sindh Wheat Growers Support Program, Rs. 41.75 billion has been directly transferred into the bank accounts of 332,000 farmers for fertilizer, resulting in Sindh achieving a record production of 4.913 million metric tons of wheat.
Highlighting the performance of the Department of Sports & Youth Affairs, he said that Rs 3.9492 billion has been allocated for this sector in the new budget. During the last fiscal year, 125 development schemes were completed, while Sindh Youth Cards, new youth centers, and youth development centers are being established for young people.
Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mahar stated that the Sindh Government is introducing the Sindh Youth Card, for which funds have also been allocated. Youth Development Centers have been completed, and an additional four youth centers will be completed in the next financial year.
He also mentioned the successful organization of the 35th National Games in Karachi, the distribution of Rs. 26.3 million in prizes among athletes and major programs like the KarachiNext AI Summit. He noted that after 18 years, the Sindh Government hosted the National Games, where Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Field Marshal General Asim Munir were guests.
The Provincial Minister further said that corruption is a cancer for society and the Sindh Government is taking all possible measures to eliminate it.
He informed that a modern Complaint Management System and QR Code system have been implemented, while 130 officers have been promoted on merit and 298 unnecessary posts have been abolished to reduce the burden on the public treasury.
Later, MPAs belonging to opposition benches also spoke on the budget. The session was adjourned till Saturday, June 27, 2 pm.
