KARACHI(National Times)- A delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Friday and discussed the budget for FY2026-27 and development projects for Sindh were discussed, according to the Prime Minister\u2019s Office (PMO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A statement issued by the PMO said that the delegation was led by Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, convener of the MQM and federal minister for education and professional training. It also included Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and Members of the National Assembly Farooq Sattar, Amin ul Haq, and Javed Hanif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meeting was also attended by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, and the prime minister\u2019s advisor on political affairs, Rana Sanaullah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe meeting discussed the federal budget for the fiscal year 2026-2027. Views were also exchanged on the overall political situation of the country,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The premier said that the MQM was an \u201cimportant allied party of the government\u201d, commending its \u201cpositive and constructive role in the development of the country, economic stability, and the completion of the agenda for public welfare\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis collaboration will continue in the future with the same spirit for national interest and public service,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MQM-P leader Aminul Haque told Dawn<\/em> that the matter of a \u201cspecial development package\u201d for Sindh\u2019s urban areas was raised during the meeting and that his party sought an allocation of Rs20 billion for projects for Karachi and another Rs5bn allocation for Hyderabad in the budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said that PM Shehbaz had assured the delegation that \u201csufficient\u201d allocations had been made in the budget for Karachi and Hyderabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The prime minister also \u201cpromised the release of the required funds\u201d for the Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme or K-IV project, Haque said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe told us that the government is taking all-out measures to complete the project by December 2026,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, he said, the MQM-P delegation also raised the issue of the M-9 Motorway, which connects Karachi and Hyderabad. \u201cThe prime minister said that M-9 should be considered an expressway or highway, and not a motorway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Haque said the premier was urged to ensure that Sindh \u201cgets a proper motorway connecting Karachi and Hyderabad\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said Main Line-1 (ML-1) \u2014 a railway project, a section of which connects Karachi to Rohri \u2014 was also discussed during the meeting. Haque said the MQM-P was of the view that it was the federal government\u2019s flagship project and work on its Karachi-Rohri section should be initiated in the fiscal year 2026-27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said the meeting continued for half an hour and PM Shehbaz, as well as PML-N\u2019s top leadership, \u201cpromised to address all issues raised during the meeting\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the issue of the Sindh governor, Haque told Dawn<\/em> that the premier was informed that the MQM-P believed that the governorship of the province should go to their nominee, as it was the second-largest party in Sindh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A source privy to the details of the meeting said that PM Shehbaz told the delegation that he agreed with the MQM\u2019s position, but the matter was settled for now with the appointment of PML-N\u2019s Nehal Hashmi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PML-N stalwart Hashmi was sworn in<\/a> as the new governor of Sindh in March, following the sacking of Kamran Khan Tessori. The surprise move had drawn a strong reaction <\/a>from the MQM-P, which complained that it had not been taken on board before the decision to remove its nominee from office, calling it a \u201cgrave mistake\u201d by Islamabad and vowing to soon decide its future course of action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PML-N\u2019s other ally, the PPP, on the other hand, welcomed the appointment of Hashmi as the new governor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahead of the presentation of the federal budget, wider pre-budget consultations<\/a> have been held between major allied parties in the Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday stressed<\/a> that the upcoming budget should prioritise \u201cpublic welfare, provincial rights and economic stability\u201d during a meeting with PM Shehbaz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last week, the MQM-P demanded<\/a> that Karachi\u2019s Rs450bn share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award be transferred directly to the city in the next fiscal year instead of being routed through the Sindh government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senior MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar said it was time to devise a fair mechanism for the distribution of financial resources among major cities, other urban centres and rural districts, based on their respective contributions to national revenue, population size and the specific needs of their areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Until last week, the federal government, its coalition partners and provincial governments had been struggling<\/u><\/a> to reach a consensus over the Centre\u2019s demand for more than Rs1tr for strategic needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the ruling PML-N and its major ally, the PPP, on Monday reached<\/u><\/a> a broad agreement to cut development and other expenditures at all tiers of the federation and jointly create similar, but higher, fiscal space next year for additional \u201cstrategic needs\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Sunday, a PPP delegation, led by party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, had expressed<\/a> its reservations related to taxes during a pre-budget meeting with FM Dar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the meeting, FM Dar assured the PPP that their proposal would be incorporated into the budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n