Sindh’s uplift projects: NA panel concerned at ‘inadequate’ federal funding

KARACHI: Parliamentarians from different political parties on Tuesday voiced strong reservations over what they described as inadequate federal funding for the province’s development projects, warning that persistent financial constraints were delaying critical infrastructure schemes and undermining Sindh’s share in the national development agenda. The concerns were raised during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives here, which was chaired by Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani. The meeting was attended by committee members Zulfiqar Bachani, Naz Baloch, Farhan Chishti, Akhtar Bibi and Sami-ul-Hassan Gilan. Special invitations were extended to MNAs from Sindh belonging to various political parties who included Ejaz Jakhrani, Dr Nafisa Shah, Dr Sharmila Faruqui, Shabbir Bijarani, Arshad Vohra, Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan, Asiya Ishaq and Shahryar Khan Mahar, says an official statement. Also present were Federal Secretary for Planning and Development Awais Sumra, Chairman of the Sindh Planning and Development Board Najam Ahmed Shah, and senior officials from the National Highway Authority, Karachi Port Trust, the Sindh Local Government Department and other federal and provincial agencies. The NA committee unanimously approved the minutes of its 15th meeting before reviewing Sindh’s share in the federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and the status of ongoing development projects in the province. Federal Secretary Awais Sumra informed the committee that Rs192 billion had been allocated for Sindh’s development projects out of the Rs1 trillion federal PSDP for the current fiscal year. However, he acknowledged that fiscal constraints often resulted in reductions in released funds, delaying implementation of development schemes. Lawmakers from Sindh strongly criticised, what they termed, inadequate federal allocations, maintaining that a number of ongoing projects had already suffered delays because of funding shortages, while newly approved schemes also faced financial uncertainty. The Parliamentarians also expressed concern over the absence of meaningful allocations for climate change initiatives despite Pakistan’s growing environmental challenges. The committee devoted considerable attention to the long-delayed Hyderabad-Sukkur (M-6) Motorway, with lawmakers sharply criticising the federal government’s failure to ensure timely funding for what they described as one of Pakistan’s most strategically important transport corridors. Members argued that the M-6 was not merely a project for Sindh but a vital national artery linking different regions of the country. They questioned why other motorway projects had received priority while the M-6 continued to face repeated delays. Responding to the criticism, Sumra said the federal government lacked sufficient financial resources to execute the project independently and therefore had to rely on financing from international financial institutions, a process that required considerable time. The explanation failed to satisfy committee members, who urged Chairman Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani to formally convey their concerns to the Prime Minister and relevant federal ministers, and seek immediate intervention to expedite the long-delayed project. The committee also recommended summoning the Chairman of the National Highway Authority and the Federal Secretary for Communications to brief lawmakers on the project’s status and explain the reasons for the continued delay. Members further called for the upgradation of all NHA-managed roads in Sindh alongside the construction of the M-6 to improve connectivity and strengthen economic activity. The committee also reviewed progress on the Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme (K-IV) and expressed serious concern over continued delays. Federal and provincial officials informed the meeting that legal and administrative issues, including matters relating to WAPDA and the augmentation component being implemented by the Sindh government with World Bank assistance, had caused the progress slow. Officials said both the federal and provincial governments remained committed to completing the project at the earliest but estimated that the overall scheme could require another two years. They further informed the committee that the first phase of the K-IV project, designed to supply 260 million gallons of water per day to Karachi, was expected to be completed by December 2029. The revised timeline drew strong criticism from committee members, who called for closer monitoring of the project. Chairman Gilani subsequently constituted a committee headed by Farhan Chishti to engage all stakeholders and submit a detailed report to the standing committee. The committee also examined progress on the Greater Karachi Sewerage Plan (S-III) and the city’s wastewater treatment projects. Officials informed members that TP-1 and TP-3 had been merged with TP-2 and TP-4, respectively, and work on the integrated projects was under way. However, they confirmed that no work had yet commenced on TP-5, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Karachi Port Trust. Expressing dissatisfaction with the explanation provided by KPT officials, Chairman Gilani observed that the S-III project could not become operational until TP-5 was completed. He questioned who would be held accountable for the resulting delays and directed the Federal Secretary for Planning and Development, the Chairman of the Sindh Planning and Development Board and the Chairman of the KPT to convene an urgent meeting and submit a comprehensive progress report at the committee’s next session. Committee members also expressed reservations over the federal government’s handling of the Karachi Transformation Plan, alleging that the city’s development priorities had not received the attention they deserved. Concluding the meeting, Chairman Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani said the committee had deliberately convened in Karachi to hear directly from Sindh’s elected representatives and address the province’s development concerns. “We want Sindh to receive its rightful share of federal development resources. ” Gilani added that strengthening coordination between the federation and the provinces was essential to ensuring balanced national development and preventing any province from being left behind. He assured participants that all concerns and recommendations raised during the meeting would be taken up in the National Assembly, and placed before the Prime Minister and relevant federal authorities to facilitate prompt action on Sindh’s key development priorities. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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