KARACHI: A delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Friday and 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 and 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, and 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 and 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 told Dawn that the matter of a “special development package” for Sindh’s urban areas was raised during the meeting and 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 and 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 and work on its Karachi-Rohri section should be initiated in the fiscal year 2026-27.
