KARACHI: A delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Friday. discussed the budget for FY2026-27 and development projects for Sindh were discussed, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
A statement issued by the PMO said that the delegation was led by Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, convener of the MQM and federal minister for education and professional training. It also included Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal. Members of the National Assembly Farooq Sattar, Amin ul Haq, and Javed Hanif.
The meeting was also attended by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar,. the prime minister’s advisor on political affairs, Rana Sanaullah.
“The meeting discussed the federal budget for the fiscal year 2026-2027. Views were also exchanged on the overall political situation of the country,” the statement said.
The premier said that the MQM was an “important allied party of the government”, commending its “positive. constructive role in the development of the country, economic stability, and the completion of the agenda for public welfare”.
“This collaboration will continue in the future with the same spirit for national interest and public service,” he said.
MQM-P leader Aminul Haque toldDawnthat the matter of a “special development package” for Sindh’s urban areas was raised during the meeting. that his party sought an allocation of Rs20 billion for projects for Karachi and another Rs5bn allocation for Hyderabad in the budget.
He said that PM Shehbaz had assured the delegation that “sufficient” allocations had been made in the budget for Karachi. Hyderabad.
The prime minister also “promised the release of the required funds” for the Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme or K-IV project. Haque said.
“He told us that the government is taking all-out measures to complete the project by December 2026,” he said.
Moreover, he said, the MQM-P delegation also raised the issue of the M-9 Motorway, which connects Karachi and Hyderabad. “The prime minister said that M-9 should be considered an expressway or highway, and not a motorway.”
Haque said the premier was urged to ensure that Sindh “gets a proper motorway connecting Karachi and Hyderabad”.
He said Main Line-1 (ML-1) — a railway project. a section of which connects Karachi to Rohri — was also discussed during the meeting. Haque said the MQM-P was of the view that it was the federal government’s flagship project. work on its Karachi-Rohri section should be initiated in the fiscal year 2026-27.
He said the meeting continued for half an hour. PM Shehbaz, as well as PML-N’s top leadership, “promised to address all issues raised during the meeting”.
On the issue of the Sindh governor. Haque toldDawnthat the premier was informed that the MQM-P believed that the governorship of the province should go to their nominee, as it was the second-largest party in Sindh.
A source privy to the details of the meeting said that PM Shehbaz told the delegation that he agreed with the MQM’s position,. the matter was settled for now with the appointment of PML-N’s Nehal Hashmi.
PML-N stalwart Hashmi wassworn inas the new governor of Sindh in March, following the sacking of Kamran Khan Tessori. The surprise move had drawn a strongreactionfrom the MQM-P, which complained that it had not been taken on board before the decision to remove its nominee from office, calling it a “grave mistake” by Islamabad. vowing to soon decide its future course of action.
The PML-N’s other ally, the PPP, on the other hand, welcomed the appointment of Hashmi as the new governor.
Ahead of the presentation of the federal budget, wider pre-budgetconsultationshave been held between major allied parties in the Centre.
President Asif Ali Zardari on Mondaystressedthat the upcoming budget should prioritise “public welfare, provincial rights. economic stability” during a meeting with PM Shehbaz.
Last week. the MQM-Pdemandedthat Karachi’s Rs450bn share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award be transferred directly to the city in the next fiscal year instead of being routed through the Sindh government.
Senior MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar said it was time to devise a fair mechanism for the distribution of financial resources among major cities, other urban centres. rural districts, based on their respective contributions to national revenue, population size and the specific needs of their areas.
Until last week, the federal government, its coalition partners. provincial governments had beenstrugglingto reach a consensus over the Centre’s demand for more than Rs1tr for strategic needs.
However, the ruling PML-N. its major ally, the PPP, on Mondayreacheda broad agreement to cut development and other expenditures at all tiers of the federation and jointly create similar, but higher, fiscal space next year for additional “strategic needs”.
On Sunday. a PPP delegation, led by party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, hadexpressedits reservations related to taxes during a pre-budget meeting with FM Dar.
During the meeting, FM Dar assured the PPP that their proposal would be incorporated into the budget.
The IMF hasaskedthe Centre to introduce at least Rs430bn worth of additional budgetary measures in the upcoming budget. alongside a nearly matching amount of Rs430bn to be generated by the four provinces.
In this connection. the PPP had asked Dar for ways for the provinces to increase their tax revenues during the meeting.
PPP leaders also opposed new taxes. hoped the government would change its approach to taxation to provide relief to inflation-hit masses, asserting that the government should prefer a broader tax base instead of exerting pressure on the same class, which is already paying taxes.
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