FY25: Sindh PA approves Rs156bn supplementary budget

Business Recorder

4 days ago

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Tuesday approved a supplementary budget of over Rs156 billion for the fiscal year 2025–26, brushing aside fierce resistance of the opposition in the form of 735 cut motions, which were overwhelmingly rejected by the house.
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who also holds the portfolio of Sindh's Finance Minister, presented 84 supplementary demands for grants, including charged expenditures for the Governor's Secretariat and the Provincial Assembly. These demands were passed by the assembly during a session chaired by Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah.
The opposition had tabled over 735 cut motions against the supplementary grants, urging individual consideration of each. Leader of the Opposition Ali Khurshidi insisted that every motion was prepared with diligence and should be debated separately. However, the Speaker grouped the motions together and subjected them to a joint vote, in which they were rejected by a majority.
Presenting the supplementary demands, Murad Ali Shah detailed the expenditure breakdown, stating that over Rs5 billion was allocated to the judiciary's charged expenditures, Rs3 billion for the Sindh Assembly, and more than Rs1 billion for the Governor House. He further explained that over Rs59 billion was earmarked for debt servicing.
He clarified that expenses related to the courts are non-negotiable, but administrative departments including the Assembly could be asked to exercise restraint. Interestingly, the Chief Minister noted that while there were cut motions filed against CM Secretariat expenditures, none targeted those of the Governor or Speaker.
MQM's Muhammad Mazahir Amir raised concerns over rising petroleum costs due to global tensions in the Gulf region and urged the government to curb fuel expenditures. Murad Ali Shah responded by clarifying that although fuel prices had indeed risen, consumption levels had remained unchanged, which is why related costs had gone up.
In another cut motion, Muhammad Mazahir questioned an allocation for the CM House garden, to which the Chief Minister clarified that the funds were for stationery and supplies, not landscaping. Murad Ali Shah also disclosed that during the visit of the late Iranian President, who had come to the CM House, hospitality and protocol expenses had totalled Rs200 million, including traditional Sindhi gifts such as Ajraks and caps, and occasionally handcrafted items.
'These are not lavish expenses but unavoidable state protocols,' Murad Ali Shah said, while asserting that all valuable gifts he received were kept at the CM House or submitted to the Toshakhana, in accordance with national laws.
In his address, the Chief Minister made it clear to the opposition: 'Forget that any of the cut motions will be passed.' He acknowledged the opposition's right to contest, adding, 'It is their democratic role to oppose, so the public can see what they are standing against.'
MQM's Muhammad Rashid Khan suggested that state gifts should come from personal pockets. In response, Murad Ali Shah stated he receives many quality gifts, all of which are documented and stored appropriately.
The Sindh Assembly session was adjourned to resume on Wednesday at 11 a.m., when the Finance Bill 2025 is scheduled to be tabled.
Meanwhile, the opposition has also submitted over 2,000 cut motions on the upcoming fiscal year's budget, which the house will decide in the next sitting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025