PM promises ‘big relief’ in budget to MQM-P

Says federation is ‘serious’ in resolving issues of Sindh

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised on Thursday the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) “big relief” in the upcoming budget, saying the federation was serious in resolving issues of Sindh, especially of urban areas, and soon there will be reduction in gas and power load-shedding in the province.

In addition, the premier assured the party that the youth of urban Sindh would be given jobs on merit in the federal government and loans will also be provided to them for doing business under the Khushal Youth Programme.

The premier’s assurance came after a delegation of the MQM-P led by Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui called on him and conveyed that the provincial and local governments in Sindh “do not provide employment to urban Sindh youth even on quota”.

Though PML-N, PPPP and MQM-P are coalition partners in the federal government, MQM-P and PPPP – ruling party in Sindh – are often found quarrelling over issues ranging from governance to law and order situation and from jobs to developmental projects.

The MQM-P delegation included Syed Mustafa Kamal, Dr Farooq Sattar, Syed Aminul Haque, Javed Hanif and Syed Hafeezuddin. Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar and Adviser to PM on Political and Public Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, were also present in the meeting.

Read also: PPP, MQM-P bury the hatchet, join hands

“Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan is an important coalition party of government,” PM Shehbaz said in an official statement released after the meeting, adding “will work together with the allied parties to solve the issues being faced by the country.”

PM Shehbaz emphasized Karachi's critical role as the country's most important city and economic backbone, declaring that “solving the problems of this city is the first priority of the government”.

During the meeting, it was reported that consultation was held on the federal budget for the financial year 2024-2025. The MQM-P delegation presented suggestions regarding the federal budget, which the prime minister welcomed.

MQM-P officials told The Express Tribune that the party raised the issue of youth’s unemployment in Karachi, Hyderabad and other cities of Sindh, saying the provincial and local governments do not provide employment to the youth of urban Sindh even on quota. The party, they said, urged PM Shehbaz that the federal government should provide a remedy in this regard.

Sources said that the MQM-P delegation informed the premier that the citizens of Sindh were seriously worried about inflation, power and gas load-shedding, and hefty bills, demanding that the federal government provide solutions.

Read: MQM-P asks centre to fund infrastructure needs of Karachi, Hyderabad

They revealed that PM Shehbaz while assuring reduction in power and gas load-shedding amid sizzling summer not only promised big relief in the upcoming budget but also assured that youth in urban Sindh areas would get jobs and loans.

The officials said that the PM also promised that the federal government would provide interest-free loans to the citizens of Sindh for solar panels in collaboration with the Akhut Foundation.

“PM Shehbaz promised MQM delegation to give big relief to the citizens of Sindh in the upcoming budget,” they added.

Furthermore, they said that the MQM-P delegation demanded the early completion of the K-4 project and new development projects in other cities of Sindh. The delegation also urged the prime minister to issue direction for a five-year “socio-economic and cultural development plan” for Karachi.

Meanwhile, PM told the MQM-P delegation about the UAE government’s investment in the desalination plant in Karachi.