KARACHI: Provocative allegations and counter-allegations dominated the first day of the post-budget discussion in the Sindh Assembly, with harsh verbal exchanges between treasury and opposition members.

Almost all 25 members from both sides of the aisle who took part in the debate appeared more focused on settling scores with each other, with some members even ready to get into a scuffle.

The situation turned highly intense when a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) strongly objected to the appointment of the Sindh chief secretary, which they said was done with “nepotism” due to his relation with the chief minister.

The remark drew a furious response from treasury members who vocally protested while the MQM-P legislators retaliated with equal force.

Excise Minister Mukesh Chawla requested Deputy Speaker Anthony Naveed, the chair, to expunge the remarks of the opposition member.

Opposition members reject ‘anti-people’ budget; treasury lawmakers assail Centre for ignoring Sindh

During the ruckus in the house, Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi rose to ease out the situation, saying that it had been decided between the treasury and opposition in a meeting before the budget session that their leaders would not be named in criticism by any member. He then requested the members from both the sides to abide by the agreement.

However, the tension did not ease till the house was adjourned to Tuesday.

While the opposition members rejected the budget by calling it “anti-people”, the treasury members termed the provincial financial plan “people-friendly” and said it reflected the vision of the Pakistan Peoples Party and people’s aspiration.

The opposition members harshly criticised the government for not incorporating their schemes and said that no major project for Karachi was included in the budget.

MQM-P’s Jamal Ahmed came down heavily on the provincial government and said that the uplift schemes he had forwarded for his constituency in North Nazimabad had been “thrown in the dustbin” by the government.

Like many other opposition members, he also pointed out the acute shortage of water and poor sanitation in his constituency. He said that all major drains passing through the constituency were in a highly poor condition, while the monsoon season was ahead.

PPP member Shazia Karim said that the federation did not treat Sindh well in the budget and added that Karachi Motorway, Hyderabad Motorway and K-4 project were ignored in the federal budget.

PPP’s Ijaz Shah said 16-hour-long loadshedding was being carried out in Sindh. He demanded that T.M Khan Hospital be given the status of a district hospital.

MQM-P member Ijazul Haq said that the work being done in Karachi was not seen. The MPA, who hails from Orangi Town, said that there was nothing for his constituency in the budget book. “We have repeatedly demanded a trauma centre for Qatar Hospital, but to the deaf ears,” he lamented.

The MQM-P member said 60 per cent of the five million people in Orangi Town did not have any infrastructure of water supply. He said that the Karachi city and Orangi Town rejected this budget.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed Sunni Ittehad Council member Muhammad Owais complained that none of the opposition’s proposals were included in the budget.

PPP’s Farzana Baloch said that the party’s vote bank was continuously increasing. “Our vote bank has never decreased, which is a manifestation of public trust in the party,” she added.

Those who spoke on the budget included PPP’s Sohrab Sarki, Hasan Ali Shah, Asif Musa, Yasmin Shah, Rukhsana Perveen, Maliha Manzoor, Roma Mushtaq, Saima Agha, Nuzhat Pathan, Farzana Baloch, Halaar Wassan and Allah Bux Talpur and MQM-P’s Shariq Jamal, Shaikh Abdullah, Adil Askari and Farah Sohail.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2025