The opposition members in the Sindh Assembly, while participating in the budget discussion, alleged that the government has not included their individual schemes in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget presented in the Sindh Assembly on June 10.

“Last month, the chief minister, on the floor of the assembly, promised to incorporate opposition schemes in the budget, but we were surprised to see nothing in it,” said Razzaque Rahimoon of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) in his speech.

He stated that it was the third consecutive term of the PPP government in Sindh, but the party has deviated from its original slogans of “bread, clothing, and shelter.”

He referred to media reports and stated that people are compelled to sell their children in the market to make a living. Rahimoon, who belongs to Tharparkar district, also expressed concern over the lack of electricity supply to Thar, where coal-based power is being generated. “Only Islamkot town is not Thar,” he said adding there was a need to provide electricity to other areas of the sand-swept district.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) MPA Waseem Qureshi, also strongly criticised the Sindh government for not considering the proposals of opposition members in the budget.

He added that despite spending billions of rupees on law and order, street crime in Karachi has reached a new high. “Around 186 people have lost their lives resisting robberies in the last four months,” he said, adding that more than 19,000 bikes and 9,000 mobile phones have been snatched in various areas of Karachi. “Everything seems good only in budget books; no practical approach is being adopted to resolve the issues,” he lamented.

Nadeem Siddiqui another MPA of MQM-P waved the development budget books in his hands and said that Hyderabad, the second-largest city in Sindh, has been neglected. “Hyderabad generates around Rs60 billion in taxes, but no major schemes are given to it,” he said, suggesting enhancing the city’s industrial zone to provide livelihood opportunities for the people.

Sharmila Faruqui of the PPP, while appreciating the Sindh government’s efforts to bring a balanced budget, said that thousands of people will get jobs through different health and education schemes, which will benefit the people without any discrimination. “The Sindh government has initiated people’s bus services to address the transportation issue in Karachi, and 500 more buses will be added to the fleet,” she said. “Bilawal will come and bring employment,” she said, chanting the PPP slogans in the house.

Shaheena Ashr and Adil Shahzad of the MQM-P also addressed the budget session.

Policy statement on cyclone

Earlier, as the session commenced, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon separately briefed the house about the Sindh government’s measures to deal with Cyclone Biparjoy and evacuate people residing in the coastal belt.

CM urged the citizens of Karachi not to leave their homes unnecessarily from Thursday to Friday, as the situation may worsen.

He informed the assembly members about his visit to Thatta, Sajjawal, and Karachi areas, stating that the KMC, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Sindh government, and other departments are working tirelessly to handle the situation. “Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also called me, and I requested him to mobilize the NDMA,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2023.