PA approves Rs156b supplementary budget amid uproar

CM defends expenditures on judiciary, debt servicing, and official hospitality

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KARACHI:

The Sindh Assembly on Tuesday approved supplementary expenditures amounting to Rs156 billion for the fiscal year 2024-25, brushing aside 735 cut motions submitted by opposition lawmakers.

The session, chaired by Speaker Syed Owais Qadir Shah, witnessed heated exchanges as opposition members demanded individual debate on each motion — a request ultimately denied by the chair.

The supplementary budget, presented by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who also holds the finance portfolio, included allocations for the Governor's Secretariat, Provincial Assembly, and judicial expenses, among others. The CM tabled 84 supplementary demands for grants, which were passed by a majority vote after the opposition's motions were clubbed and rejected collectively.

In his address, CM Shah detailed the breakdown of the expenditures: Rs5 billion for judicial (charged) expenses, Rs3 billion for the Sindh Assembly, over Rs1 billion for the Governor's House, and a significant Rs59 billion for debt servicing. He emphasized that judicial expenses are constitutionally protected and beyond the executive's control, while urging administrative departments to exercise fiscal restraint.

Opposition Leader Ali Khursheedi criticized the consolidation of cut motions, arguing that the opposition had invested considerable effort in drafting them individually. However, the Speaker maintained procedural authority and moved forward with a collective vote.