ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights (PCCR) reviewed the Federal Budget 2026–27 from a child rights perspective and called for enhanced child-focused budgetary allocations.
The Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights (PCCR) of the National Assembly, under the chairpersonship of its convener MNA Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, held a briefing session titled “Budget Through Children’s Lens: Post-Budget Analysis 2026–2027” on Saturday.
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The session, organised in collaboration with the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) Pakistan, brought together members of the National Assembly, parliamentary secretaries, and subject experts to examine the Federal Budget 2026–2027 from a child rights perspective.
In her opening remarks, Dr Nikhat emphasized that the national budget reflects the country’s priorities and underscored the need to critically assess whether adequate resources are being allocated for children’s education, health, nutrition, protection, and overall well-being. She stated that investment in children is both a national responsibility and essential for Pakistan’s sustainable development.
The briefing included a detailed presentation by budget expert Amer Ejaz, who analyzed the budget through a child rights lens. The presentation focused on the classification of child-related expenditures into direct, indirect, and general public spending, and examined key sectors including the education development budget of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, the development budget of the National Health Services, and provincial allocations in health, education, nutrition, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), and disaster and flood rehabilitation and management. Allocations under the Prime Minister’s Special Initiatives were also reviewed.
An interactive discussion followed, during which convener of the Parliamentary Taskforce on SDGs, Shaista Pervaiz, parliamentary secretaries; Farah Naz Akbar, Kiran Imran Dar, Saba Sadiq, Zeb Jaffar, and MNAs; Asia Naz Tanoli and Kiran Haider, engaged with Amer Ejaz, Executive Director Lead Syed Kausar, and Director Programs Maryam Jawad. The discussion focused on the effectiveness of child-focused allocations in the current federal budget and identified key gaps requiring further attention.
Participants collectively reaffirmed their commitment to addressing the identified gaps in child-specific expenditures in the next federal budget through enhanced and targeted allocations for child-related sectors, thereby strengthening Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare and well-being of children.
In her closing remarks, Dr Nikhat expressed appreciation to Amer Ejaz for his comprehensive presentation and acknowledged the contributions of Syed Kausar and Maryam Jawad for their insights. She also appreciated the technical support extended by SSDO in enriching the discussion on child-responsive budgeting.
She further thanked MNAs Shaista Pervaiz, Farah Naz Akbar, Kiran Imran Dar, Saba Sadiq, Zeb Jaffar, Asia Naz Tanoli, and Kiran Haider for their active participation and commitment to ensuring adequate child-related welfare allocations in the federal budget. Appreciation was also extended to officers of the National Assembly Secretariat, Haziq Bukhari and Iffat Pervaz, for their support in the successful conduct of the session.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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