• Budget debate shortened due to death of MPA Naeem Kharal
• MPA seeks force to protect district bordering Balochistan

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Sunday unanimously adopted a resolution to pay tribute to slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto to mark her 73rd birth anniversary.

A little before the end of session, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah requested the chair to relax the requirement of Rule 124(2) and Rule 150(1) of the Rules of Procedures to allow him to move the resolution.

The speaker asked the CM whether members would speak on it, to which the CM replied that no speeches would be made on the joint resolution.

The CM said that he had tabled the joint resolution, bearing the signatures of all members present in the house, on behalf of the entire house.

Lauding the services of the Muslim world’s first woman premier, the CM said that Benazir Bhutto had played a key role in national politics after the judicial murder of her father.

“Benazir Bhutto waged a great struggle for the restoration of democracy, strengthening of the federation, women’s empowerment, national development and social justice,” he said.

CM Murad said that the service of the former prime minister would always be remembered.

The house passed the resolution, honouring her enduring legacy of democracy, public service and the struggle for the rights of the people.

According to the resolution, “The House pays its highest tribute to the life, struggle, achievements and sacrifices of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto; reaffirms its commitment to the democratic ideals, constitutional values and principles of social justice for which she stood and ultimately laid down her life; appreciates her unparalleled services for the people of Pakistan, particularly the people of Sindh; and, prays to Almighty Allah to elevate her ranks among the martyrs and grant Pakistan the wisdom and strength to continue striving for the democratic, progressive and prosperous nation envisioned by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.”

Budget debate continues

A number of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle were scheduled to participate in the third day of the budget discussion, but the session was adjourned after the speeches of seven members due to the death of PPP MPA Naeem Kharal at hospital.

PPP MPA Mumtaz Chandio said that Sindh’s progress had come solely under PPP governments, a fact he claimed the opposition would not concede. “Karachi is the heart of Sindh and the crown of the province,” he said.

He demanded that an NICVD be set up in Naushahro Feroze.

PPP’s Qasim Siraj Soomro said the province was focusing on social security and social protection.

PPP MPA Arif Mahar thanked Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon for launching the Peoples Bus Service on the Shikarpur-Sukkur route.

Syed Farrukh Shah of the PPP said the nation had emerged united against India, which now “sits isolated”.

Criticising the opposition, he said that they had not even listened to the budget and just stood in a corner shouting slogans. “It is unfortunate. When will we become Pakistanis?” he added.

Women Development Minister Shaheena Sher Ali told the house that her department had completed several unfinished schemes. “Darul Amans have been built in Sukkur and Mirpurkhas”, she said, adding that 405 women had been rescued from honour killings in the province and provided security and livelihood support.

Defending the Benazir Income Support Programme and the Pink Scooty scheme, she said both faced criticism initially but would succeed.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Daniyal Ahmed said that a “monarchy” was being run in the province.

He said that Karachi alone needed 15,000 buses, but the provincial government had given just 2,000 buses for the whole province.

“You have been here for 18 years but the K-IV project is still incomplete,” he added.

MPA says miscreants entering from Balochistan need to be tackled

The demand for a dedicated border security force for district Qambar-Shahdadkot has been raised in the session, with the warning that armed miscreants from Balochistan have been trying to enter the district amid the presence of banned outfits like the Balo­­chistan Liberation Ar­my (BLA) and Balo­chistan Liberation Front (BLF).

Speaking during the post-budget debate on Sunday, Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Burhan Khan Chandio said that the district should be given powers to stop such incursions, where security had worsened.

He also demanded a cardio hospital for Qambar-Shahdadkot, noting that the hilly district drew patients even from Balochistan for treatment.

Unlike other speakers, the PPP MPA mainly restricted his speech to the issues pertaining to his constituency and said that a hospital had been constructed in Naseerabad, but not made functional as no staff had been posted there.

The legislator said Qambar-Shahdadkot nee­ded a public transport system and new roads and called for scrapping the RBOD project.

“The district both dries up and gets flooded,” he said, pointing to the district’s vulnerability to climate shocks.

On the issue of water, he said that while the irrigation department had cleaned canals, water theft continued. “Punjab steals water, but theft also happens at the local level,” he told the house.

Later, Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah adjourned the sitting to 10am on Monday (today).

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2026