PA approves allowance for engineers

The Sindh Assembly has approved a resolution regarding technical allowances for engineers. The house passed the resolution during a session which was reserved as private members' day.

Meanwhile, the minister for parliamentary affairs rejected a resolution presented by an opposition MPA concerning the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh, stating that the matter falls under federal jurisdiction and should be addressed in the National Assembly instead.

The session, chaired over by Speaker Owais Qadir Shah, started with a delay of almost half an hour. During the question hour, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ziaul Hassan Lanjar responded to various written and supplementary questions from MPAs.

He stated that the performance of the Sindh Revenue Department is satisfactory and that the collection of tax on agricultural income in the province is better compared to other provinces.

MQM-P MPA Abdul Basit inquired about any plans to review the capital value tax rate, to which the minister replied that tax changes are made according to the current situation.

The minister informed the House that from 2020 to 2023, no recruitment for tapedars was made in Sindh, while 33 Mukhtiarkars and 121 junior clerks were recruited through the Sindh Public Service Commission.

He highlighted that due to the improved tax collection system in Sindh, more tax is being collected.

PPP's Saadia Javed asked about the computerization of revenue records initiated by the previous government and its progress. The minister replied that the computerization process has been completed, and records from 1986 have been digitized.

On Private Members' Day, MQM member Ziaul Haq presented a resolution regarding the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh, which was opposed by Minister Lanjar, stating it is a federal matter and should be presented in the National Assembly. MQM member Adil Usmani presented a resolution for an allowance for engineers in the province, which was supported by Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon. The minister acknowledged the hard work of engineers and stated that providing them with an allowance is justified. The resolution was passed unanimously by the Sindh Assembly.

MQM member Sabir Qaimkhani raised an objection, stating that SNEs should be applicable across Sindh, not limited to specific areas. Sindh Education Minister Sardar Shah responded that the recruitment policy in the education department has been shared in the Assembly and assured that if any irregularity is found in the recruitment process, he would resign. The Speaker adjourned the session until Wednesday morning at 11 am.

In related news, Sindh's Minister of Energy, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, speaking to the media in the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday, expressed hope that the federal government would present a people-friendly budget.

He emphasized the need for the NFC award to be brought before the budget and stated that people cannot bear more taxes. He expressed hope that Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif would consider the needs of the provinces. Shah lamented that Karachi often lacks major projects from the Federation, unlike other provinces.

He said that there are ongoing complaints of over-billing and expensive tariffs and indicated that a strategy is being developed for electricity supply. He assured that the party is bringing various projects to provide relief to the people, including subsidies in electricity bills for the needy.