Islamabad: In a high-intensity session of the National Assembly, PPP MNA Izbal Zehri delivered an emotional and impassioned speech that electrified the parliamentary floor. Speaking during the hotly contested federal budget debate for the fiscal year 2025–26, Zehri seized the moment to criticize federal spending priorities, highlight the urgent needs of Sindh province—especially in Karachi—and warn of the PPP’s possible withdrawal of support if its demands were not met.
Zehri opened her speech by painting a vivid picture of economic hardship across Pakistan, particularly in Sindh. Amid ruins of inflation and poverty, she described “people living on the edge of survival,” calling out the budget as failing to address critical issues facing ordinary citizens. Her delivery was at once emotional and firm, underlined by repeated calls for “justice in resource distribution” and concern for women, children, laborers, and farmers.
Her critique of the federal budget was measured, yet resolute. She referenced numerous pre-budget assembly statements from PPP leaders asserting that Sindh had been discriminated against in federal allocations. Particularly, she highlighted the transfer of major public works department (PWD) urban development projects away from the provincial hands—a move she termed unconstitutional and damaging to Sindh’s autonomy . She explained that projects within Sindh were being managed by the federal housing ministry instead of remaining under provincial control, contrasting sharply with other provinces.
Zehri’s voice broke when she spoke of the Sukkur Motorway, where she said only Rs15 billion had been allocated in the federal budget—well below the project’s total cost, estimated at Rs400 billion. She charged the government with playing a “dangerous game” with Sindh’s development trajectory . While acknowledging the addition of Rs250 billion for Balochistan in connectivity projects elsewhere , she noted that comparable projects in Sindh were neglected.
The debate quickly escalated. Shazia Marri, another PPP lawmaker, joined Zehri in attacking elements of the budget. Marri specifically criticized an 18 percent tax on imported solar panels, warning it would derail progress on renewable energy and burden both consumers and businesses . The criticism triggered a broader backlash, with the PPP promising to block the budget approval unless the tax was reversed and stronger relief measures for the poor and farmers were included .
Amid the heated debate, MQM-P (Muttahida Qaumi Movement–Pakistan) suddenly became embroiled in its own clash with PPP representatives. A heated verbal exchange took place on the NA floor when MQM-P’s Javed Hanif accused PPP of “abandoning Karachi” while making threats . The confrontation shifted attention momentarily from budget specifics to broader regional resentments and underscored longstanding tensions over Karachi’s treatment.
Izbal Zehri’s speech, in its emotional honesty and political assertiveness, has become the loudest voice in this year’s budget saga. In her warnings and appeals, she not only defended Sindh’s provincial rights but also framed citizens’ welfare as the true test of the budget’s worth. And in so doing, she set the stage for a budget season that may prove far more unpredictable—and consequential—than numbers on paper might suggest.
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