KARACHI – Just a day after presenting a budget for fiscal year 2025-26, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah voiced serious concerns over the federal government’s commitment to the province in a post-budget press conference on Saturday.
The Sindh CM outlined the key priorities for the fiscal year 2025–26 while voicing serious concerns over the federal government’s commitment to the province.
CM Murad said that the provincial government has announced a budget with a total outlay of Rs3.45 trillion. Of this, a record-breaking Rs1.018 trillion has been allocated for development projects. He noted that if the federal government fulfills its financial commitments, these figures could improve, adding that last year, the Centre failed to transfer the agreed share of revenue to the province.
The Sindh CM announced that 1,460 development schemes worth Rs590 billion will be completed during the current fiscal year — the highest number in the province’s history. He also revealed a major revision in the government’s salary structure, with a 12 percent salary increase for employees from grades 1 to 16, and a 10 percent increase for those in grades 17 to 22. Total expenditure on salaries and pensions is expected to cross Rs1.1 trillion.
CM Murad elaborated on sectoral priorities, stating that the education budget has been increased by 18 percent, the health budget by 11 percent, the local government allocation by 5 percent, and the energy department’s budget by 16.5 percent.
He said that Rs22.5 billion have been allocated for agricultural development, Rs59.6 billion for the transport sector, Rs132 billion for local governments, and Rs43 billion for irrigation. A special allocation of Rs236 billion has been made for Karachi, which does not include ongoing public-private partnership projects worth Rs95 billion.
Highlighting flood recovery efforts, the chief minister claimed that 500,000 houses have been completed, 850,000 are nearing completion, and another 1.3 million are under construction. He said the project, backed by the World Bank and other international organizations, is being hailed globally as a model for disaster recovery. In rural areas, a Rs600 billion water supply and sanitation project is under way, which will be constructed by locals under the supervision of non-governmental organizations.
On the issue of taxation, CM Murad asserted that no new taxes have been introduced in the provincial budget. Instead, several taxes have been withdrawn, including those on restaurants and entertainment. The government has also exempted motorcycles from third-party insurance, reduced stamp duty, and cut various fees by half.
For the agriculture sector, the CM announced free laser levellers for small farmers and an 80 percent subsidy on agricultural machinery for large landowners. He also unveiled plans to introduce cluster farming to increase productivity.
In health, Shah said that the Sindh Institute of Child Health Network has now become the largest of its kind in the world. He also announced new initiatives for persons with disabilities, youth development centers, and new schools.
The CM was critical of the federal government for excluding Sindh’s key projects from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and for not supporting the K-IV water supply project or desalination plants.
He said that although the Pakistan Peoples Party is not part of the ruling coalition at the Centre, it is providing conditional support to the federal government. He warned that if Sindh is not given an equitable share of national resources, the PPP would reconsider its support for the federal budget.
CM Murad added that the performance of the Sindh government is visible both to the public and to international institutions. He defended the recent purchase of helicopters and government vehicles but announced a complete ban on new vehicle procurement from next year.
He said that the people of Sindh had expressed greater confidence in the PPP during the last elections, and that his government is working with a clear vision for the welfare of the people.
Sindh CM unveils ‘People-Friendly’ Budget 2025 with focus on development
