PM Shehbaz affirms govt commitment to contribute to provinces' development

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday affirmed the government’s commitment to contribute to the development of all provinces. He made the remarks on the floor of the National Assembly on Saturday, a day after the federal budget for FY27 was proposed. He began his speech by noting that he would not give a “detailed response” to the criticism voiced by Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai at the moment, but at an “appropriate time”. After the NA proceedings began at 11am, Achakzai had spoken mostly on the country’s law and order situation. He had also criticised the government’s decision to freeze the development allocations for the provinces, contending that it would hit their health and social sectors. Noting that all MNAs were immensely respectable and the legislature was akin to a “house”, PM Shehbaz said, “Each one can have their politics and vision, but one thing that this House will always attest to is that we are here if Pakistan is.” “There is no difference of opinion on this,” he affirmed, recalling Achakzai’s assertion that the provinces had the right to their financial resources. The premier highlighted the “shares of the people of Balochistan” in the Reko Diq project and the 2010 National Finance Commission (NFC) Award in which the province’s share was doubled. The prime minister remarked he was saying this not to “taunt any favour but just to remind that even a house cannot function without financial and social justice”. He also recalled the distribution of solar panels to the farmers of Balochistan, adding, “This is a tale of brotherhood.” He went on to mention a road being constructed from Chaman to Gwadar. “You did not demand this, neither did someone else. But as the prime minister of Pakistan, it is my responsibility to do my best so that all four provinces are at the same level in the race to progress.” More to follow