Islamabad:
The federal budget for the year 2025-2026 was criticized on Friday in the Senate, the legislators of the cash and opposition benches denouncing it.
Problems affecting the minority communities of the Sindh and the current situation in Baloutchistan have also appeared in good place in the session.
The house, chaired by vice-president Syedal Khan Nasir, briefly saw a boycott by opposition members due to the absence of any minister.
The debate on the budget resumed after the arrival of the Minister of Law Azam Nazeer Tarar and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Chaudhry.
Senator Dinesh Kumar underlined the alleged abduction of three girls and a boy from the Sindh minority community. “We hear that these girls were forcibly converted,” he said at home, urging the Sindh police chief to immediately take an opinion from the incident.
Responding, the vice-president ordered the Sindh-Chief Secretary of Chief and the Police Inspector to submit a report and also responsible that the police meet Senator Kumar to respond to his concerns.
The Senator of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Waqar Mehdi, informed the room that “the girls had been recovered” and would be presented before the court concerned of Karachi. He assured that “there would be no discrimination against the minorities”.
Maulana Attor Rehman approved the concerns of Senator Kumar and called for the responsibility of the Sindh government. Senator Raja Nasir Abbas added: “There is no constraint in religion and the abduction of girls is wrong.”
Senator Khalil Tahir Sindhu stressed that the budget did not contain any allowances for minorities or interconfessional harmony. The vice-president answered him by advising him to take up the question within his own party, because he belonged to the power coalition.
Senator Khaleda Aeeb raised the question of a tragic accident of discouragement in Karachi who cost the life of a woman and his daughter. “Why is the Dumper Mafia so strong in Karachi?” She asked.
Senator Mehdi replied that the provincial government made efforts to enforce traffic laws.
Senator Jan Muhammad Buledi urged the government to play a greater role in efforts to stop the Iran-Israel conflict. He warned that “Israel wanted to change the government to Iran and bring his puppets to it”.
He also criticized the budget to ignore Balutchistan, saying: “Balutchistan cannot be ignored. We should have had a plan to fix the situation in Balutchistan. Take Balutchistan seriously.”
In response, the minister of Law Tarar reiterated that Balutchistan was a high priority for the government and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
