• Energy, PDMA and BSDI receive major allocations
• Rs28.35bn earmarked for energy sector; development spending exceeds Rs58bn

QUETTA: The Balochis­tan Assembly on Saturday approved the province’s supplementary budget of over Rs119 billion for the fiscal year 2025-26, without debate and without any cut motions being moved against the demands for grants.

Soon after the session began, with Speaker retired Cap­tain Abdul Khaliq Achakzai in the chair, op­­position members sought to debate the supplementary budget. However, Chief Minister Mir Sarf­r­­az Bugti asked members to first approve the budget, saying discussion could take place later.

The speaker then direc­ted Finance Minister Mir Shoaib Nosherwani to move the demands for grants. Mr Nosherwani presented 46 demands for grants one by one, including 21 related to non-development expenditure and 25 concerning development expenditure.

No opposition member moved a cut motion aga­inst either development or non-development expenditure as the finance minister tabled all 46 demands in the house.

The supplementary bu­­d­get comprised more than Rs61.29 billion in non-de­velopment expenditure and over Rs58.19bn in dev­­elopment expenditure. All 46 supplementary grant demands were approved during the session.

Presenting the budget, the finance minister mov­ed 21 supplementary dem­ands for non-development expenditure amounting to more than Rs61bn.

The allocations covered key departments, including health, energy, irrigation, transport, industries and commerce, fisheries, the Chief Minister’s Sec­retariat and the Board of Revenue.

Among the major allocations, over Rs28.35bn was approved for the ener­­gy department, Rs12.67bn for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and Rs5.40bn for the health department. Ad­­ditional funds were al­­located to the sports and youth affairs, science and information technology, culture and tourism dep­artments, as well as the provincial ombudsman.

The house unanimously approved all non-development expenditure demands.

The finance minister also tabled 25 supplementary demands for development expenditure totalli­­ng more than Rs58.19 billion. These included allocations for the com­mu­­ni-

cations and works (C&W), public health engineering, colleges and higher education, health, forest and wildlife, local government, transport, school ed­­ucation, women development and urban planning departments.

Major development al-­lo­cations included Rs10.66bn for C&W projects, Rs16.03bn for multi-departmental schemes and Rs18.64bn for the Ba­­lochistan Special Develop­ment Initiative (BSDI).

The supplementary budget is intended to meet urgent financial requirements and accelerate dev­elopment projects across the province before the close of the fiscal year on June 30.

Following approval of all supplementary deman­­ds, the assembly session was adjourned.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2026