Karachi:
The Government of Sindh is committed to protecting the rights of the province about its participation in the water of the Indo River, Murad Ali Shah said Principal Minister.
“We will not allow anyone to steal from Eve a fall in the legitimate participation of the province in the Indo River,” said the executive director of the provincial government on the planned construction of new channels in the river by Punjab.
“We are observing the situation closely,” he said, at the end of the discussion prior to the budget in the Assembly, he emphasized the government’s commitment to maintain the law and order, highlighting the importance of transparent financial planning and stating that there was no construction in the Cholistan channel.
He stressed that there has been no construction of the Sulemanki head to Marot, where a abandoned 5,000 feet channel length was found, and no more activity was observed. Through maps and budgetary estimates, he showed that no expenses have been incurred in the construction of Cholistan.
Security and surveillance
The CM began its speech expressing concerns about the growing wave of terrorism in the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan. He assured the Assembly that the government of Sindh and the agencies of application of the law were monitoring the situation to avoid any threat of security in the province.
“For decades, the lack of law was an important problem in our country and province, but after 2013-14, the conditions began to improve,” he said.
He also stressed that the Sindh Assembly had previously approved a resolution against terrorism, underlining the responsibility of all political parties to prioritize national security over political differences.
Budget prior discussion rule
He stressed that Sindh is unique in having rule 143, which allows structured discussions prior to the budget, unlike any national or provincial assembly, emphasizing that this rule allows all members to discuss budgetary issues and propose solutions.
When comparing the delay of last year due to government formation, Shah pointed out that this year’s discussions are on their way, praising productive debates and a greater participation of legislators, since last year political tensions led to only 31 members participating.
The role and commitment of the opposition
The CM also recognized the opposition leader for recognizing the good intentions of the government despite the execution differences.
“I am pleased to know that there is no doubt about our intentions,” Shah said, emphasizing his party’s commitment to the well -being of the people of Sindh since 1970, highlighting a greater commitment in the assembly, with 100 members speaking this year and 132 last year during budget discussions.
The CM stressed the importance of discussing the problems of infrastructure and water supply in Karachi, qualifying the city “the beat of the country”. He promised to document all the suggestions for consideration in the 2025-26 budget. He informed the assembly that this year, the total budget was 3,056 billion rupees. As of February 28, 2025, almost RS2,000 billion have been published, and RS1,454 billion have already been used with a significant part of employee expenses, including wages and pensions, in addition to which most subsidies go to health institutions such as Siut. “This has proven to be a very effective way to directly benefit people,” said the CM.
Shah also said that of the 1,153 development schemes, 1,035 less than 50 million rupees have received funds together with 610 of the 624 largest projects of RS50 million. For the 2,472 schemes of more than RS1 billion, so far 2,050 have been financed in four installments. The CM addressed concerns about informing the government’s performance, stating that of 4,500 development schemes, 50 projects have been completed, with many of the nearby completion, citing projects such as the Hub pumping station and the Karachi Water & Alcantarillas improvement project. “Despite the achievements, focusing on only 25 projects creates a false impression of inactivity,” he said, highlighting RS303 billion spent in development.
