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Balochistan PA passes Rs1.09tr budget

QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly passed the Rs1.089 trillion budget for the next fiscal year 2026-27 of developmental and non-developmental expenditures without facing any cut motion on any demand for grants, on Sunday.

The assembly officials confirmed that no opposition members submitted any cut motion on demand for grants for the next financial year 2026-27 budget.The supplementary budget was also approved by the house without any debate and cut motion by the opposition members the other day.

Finance Minister Shoaib Ahmed Nosherwani presented 53 demands for grants worth Rs797.808 billion for non-development expenditures, while 45 demands for grants amounting to Rs291bn were sanctioned for development spending. The assembly also passed the Balochistan Finance Bill, 2026. While presiding over the session, Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai asked Finance Minister Nosherwani to present demand for grants for the approval of budget 2026-27 after which he moved 98 demands for grants one by one.

The government was expecting cut motions after opposition members’ fiery speeches during the debate on budget, but no cut motion was witnessed in the house while approving the next Knancialyearbudget.

When the session resumed, Mr Nosherwani tabled the authenticated statements of the fiscalyear 2026-27 and supplementary expenditures for the fiscal year 2025-26. He also presented the Balochistan Finance Bill 2026, which was taken up for consideration and subsequently passed by the House. At the outset, Parliamentary Secretary for Culture Zareen Magsi raised the issue of the kidnapping of two youths in Jhal Magsi and urged the government to take immediate stepsfortheirrecovery.

Responding to the point of order, Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti said such incidents were damaging Baloch traditions and values. He termed the abduction of the two youths from the rest house of former chief minister Zulfiqar Ali Magsi as ‘shameful’ and said the government was mal(ing efforts to ensure their safe recovery.