Pakistan(National Times)- Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has sharply criticised the federal government for what he described as repeated neglect of the province\u2019s development needs, warning that “funding and political support cannot be taken for granted”. Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday presented the federal budget for fiscal year 2025\u201326 with a total outlay of Rs17.57 trillion, announcing relief measures for the salaried class while overall federal expenditure is being slashed by 7%. Speaking in Karachi on Saturday, Shah said the Centre had gone too far by dismantling the Pakistan Public Works Department (PWD), a move he called “unjust” and damaging to local infrastructure planning.\u00a0 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in 2024 ordered the immediate abolition of\u00a0 PWD following its deteriorating performance in achieving its objectives. \u201cWe are not a colony,\u201d he said, urging Islamabad to treat Sindh with the respect it deserves within the federation. Referring to the recent budget process, Shah made it clear that Sindh’s cooperation is conditional. \u201cBilawal Bhutto has already said it: either give Sindh its rightful projects or forget about our vote on the budget,\u201d he warned. \u201cIf the projects don\u2019t come to Sindh, then go ahead and pass your budget without us,\u201d Shah added, reiterating that the province wouldn\u2019t tolerate being treated like an afterthought. \u201cIf we are treated like stepchildren, we know how to fight for our rights.\u201d In the budget presented earlier this week, the government has allocated Rs1 trillion for the federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), similar to last year\u2019s outlay.\u00a0 About 30% of this allocation will be used for transport infrastructure projects, according to the budget document\u06d4 The chief minister also responded to what he called a campaign of misinformation surrounding the Shahrah-e-Bhutto project. \u201cBizarre stories are being spread. Someone even showed up with a pistol claiming dacoits were here and had fled,\u201d he said, dismissing the claims as exaggerated and disruptive. On plans, Shah said the Sindh government was pushing ahead with its infrastructure goals, including a major link road connecting Karachi Port to Qayyumabad.\u00a0 \u201cThe business community of Karachi is fully on board and supporting this effort,\u201d he noted. He closed by defending the Pakistan Peoples Party\u2019s development record, saying, \u201cWhether others acknowledge it or not, the people can see what we\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan(National Times)- Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has sharply criticised the federal government for what he described as repeated neglect of the province\u2019s development needs, warning that “funding and political support cannot be taken for granted”. Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday presented the federal budget for fiscal year 2025\u201326 with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":106146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n