KARACHI: Opposition parties in the Sindh Assembly rejected the provincial budget and criticised the Sindh government for an “anti-people” financial plan.

Talking to reporters at the Media Corner of the Sindh Assembly, Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) rejected the budget, terming it a gimmick of numbers.

“We thought that the rulers of Sindh would provide relief to the people, but the budget did not give anything to them,” he said, adding that the budget proposals of the opposition were trampled. “Our recommendations were accepted in the pre-budget session. Today, the chief minister retracted his own words in the pre-budget session,” he said.

The MQM-P leader said that the chief minister was responsible for the destruction of the province.

Jamaat-i-Islami’s Muhammad Farooq told the media that Karachi paid the highest taxes, yet it was ignored. “The budget does not include any mega projects for Karachi,” he lamented and added that there were only taxes on the city and no facilities.

He said that the MQM-P, which was protesting in Sindh, was part of the power in the federation and it could not take anything for Karachi in the federal budget. “The PPP, MQM-P and PML-N are equal partners in the abuse of Karachi,” he added.

He said that no relief was given to the people in the budget. “Budget 2025 is a blow to the middle and working class,” he said.

Sharjeel responds

Reacting to the opposition parties’ protest in the assembly, Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, stated that the alliance between the MQM-P and PTI had now been clearly exposed.

He said that the two parties which once contested against each other for seats were now seen standing side by side on the assembly floor.

While speaking to the media at the Sindh Assembly Media Corner, Mr Memon said that the behaviour exhibited by the MQM-P in the assembly stemmed from a sense of deprivation.

He added that if the MQM-P had truly cared about the people of Karachi, it would have raised its voice against the federal government over the budget for the K-4 water project.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2025