ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Sunday approved 125 demands for grants amounting to more than Rs9.17 trillion for 31 ministries and divisions, including parliament, while rejecting 307 cut motions moved by the opposition against allocations for key ministries.
The proceedings were presided over by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq as Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented demands for grants for various federal ministries and divisions during the budget session.
Opposition parties had submitted 587 cut motions against demands for grants of six ministries and divisions, including the Cabinet Secretariat, Energy, Finance and Revenue, Interior, National Food Security and Research and Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety.
On Sunday, the National Assembly took up cut motions relating to the first three ministries and divisions. The opposition had moved 307 cut motions, including 90 against 18 demands for grants of the Cabinet Division, 116 against six demands related to the Energy Division and 100 against 12 demands concerning the Finance Division.
Grants approved for 31 ministries, divisions
All the motions were rejected by a majority vote.
The House approved 29 demands for grants of the Cabinet Division worth more than Rs1.53tr and rejected all cut motions seeking reductions in allocations for the division and its attached departments.
Similarly, it approved 14 demands for grants of the Finance Division, six demands for grants of the Energy Division, five demands for grants of the Defence Division and defence services, two for the Defence Production Division and five demands for grants of the Communications Division.
The house also approved nine demands for grants of the Federal Education and Professional Training Division, two demands for grants of the Foreign Affairs Division and two demands for grants of the Railways Division.
Demands for grants relating to the Climate Change, Commerce, Housing and Works, Human Rights, Industries and Production, Interior, Information and Broadcasting, IT and Telecom, Inter-Provincial Coordination, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Law and Justice, Maritime Affairs, National Health Services, Parliamentary Affairs, Planning, Privatisation, Religious Affairs, Science and Technology, and Water Resources divisions were also approved.
The National Assembly also approved one demand for grant of the National Assembly Secretariat worth more than Rs9.03 billion and one demand for grant of the Senate Secretariat amounting to over Rs3.21bn.
Meanwhile, 10 demands for grants relating to the Interior Division, National Food Security and Research Division, and Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division were also approved.
After discussion and voting on the cut motions, members appeared visibly tired by sunset. In a lighter moment, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq announced that cut motions of three ministries had been completed. “Now let us take the fourth ministry,” he said with a smile. The remark brought together members from both sides of the aisle, with some even joining hands to request him to adjourn the session. The house is set to meet again on Monday morning.
Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2026
