KARACHI: The newly presented Sindh budget for the fiscal year 2025–26 has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, with both Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and MQM-Pakistan rejecting it outright, calling it anti-public and discriminatory toward urban Sindh, particularly Karachi.
Jamaat-e-Islami MPA Muhammad Farooq condemned the budget, labelling it a plan not to eliminate poverty but to eliminate the poor, while talking to reporters outside the assembly building after the budget session.
He said that despite Karachi being the highest tax contributor, it has been ignored once again, with no mega development project included. He accused the Sindh government of imposing taxes on Karachi without providing any civic facilities in return.
He also criticised the federal budget, stating like the Sindh budget, it also failed to reflect public aspirations. He held the PPP, MQM, and PML-N equally responsible for what he described as the continued injustice toward Karachi, citing unresolved issues such as the megacity’s two-decade long water crisis.
According to Farooq, the budget offers no relief to the common man, neglecting vital sectors like healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
Meanwhile, MQM-Pakistan’s parliamentary leader and Sindh Assembly Opposition Leader, Ali Khurshidi echoed similar sentiments.
Addressing the media, he rejected the budget as a manipulation of numbers passed through a fake numerical majority. He criticised what he called the government’s authoritarian behaviour during the session and accused it of bulldozing opposition proposals, despite earlier commitments during the pre-budget consultations.
Khurshidi said the budget has no relevance to urban Sindh. He questioned whether the PPP-led government considers urban centers like Karachi part of the province at all. He warned that MQM-Pakistan would not allow the assembly to function if the concerns of urban Sindh are ignored. He vowed that all MQM members would participate in the budget debate. He held the Sindh Chief Minister responsible for the province’s deteriorating state, asserting that the assembly is not the PPP’s personal estate.
Both leaders demanded transparency, fair allocation, and genuine relief measures in the budget, urging the government to rethink its approach toward Karachi and its millions of taxpayers.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.