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Budget lacks medium-term brain, power relief, tax equity: Experts

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KU AERC seminar says Budget 2026-27 focuses on numbers, not on export competitiveness, tax equity, or long-term planning IV Report KARACHI: The University of Karachi’s Applied Economics Research Centre (AERC) concluded that Budget 2026-27 is missing key structural links to growth, energy affordability, and tax reform, during its Budget Insight 2026-27 seminar held Monday. Speakers said the budget reads as an annual accounts statement, without the medium-term policy backbone needed to address Pakistan’s core economic constraints. Former State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Ishrat Husain said a budget must operate within a medium-term policy framework, not as merely an account of income and expenditure. Citing the 2010-11 NFC Award, he noted it had set a target to raise the tax-to-GDP ratio to 15% within five years. Fifteen years later, it remains around 11 percent, he said, adding that setting targets alone is insufficient without practical measures and continuous monitoring. ...
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Experts urge action on Karachi's environmental decline

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KU moot warns implementation gap is worsening pollution and climate-related threats IV Report KARACHI: Environmental experts, academics and civil society representatives have warned that Karachi's worsening environmental conditions reflect a widening gap between awareness and action, urging authorities and citizens alike to move beyond rhetoric and adopt practical measures to address climate change, pollution and unplanned urbanisation. The concerns were raised at the Climate Matters Conference, organised by the Institute of Environmental Studies (IES) of the University of Karachi (KU) in connection with World Environment Day 2026. The conference was themed “Inspired by Nature, for Climate, for Our Future” and focused on the challenges posed by climate change and rapid urban growth. Speakers noted that Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and economic hub, is facing mounting environmental pressures ranging from shrinking green spaces and deteriorating air quality to unmana...
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Sindh health budget draws PMA criticism

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Association says the emphasis on grants and tertiary care comes at the expense of disease prevention IV Report KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has expressed concern over the Sindh government's health budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, arguing that the allocation places excessive emphasis on grants to specialised institutions while neglecting preventive and primary healthcare services. In a statement issued on Thursday, PMA Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro said the Rs393.16 billion health budget reflected a healthcare strategy focused largely on treatment rather than disease prevention and community-based care. The association said a significant portion of the allocation had been directed towards grants for non-governmental organisations, public-private partnerships and specialised healthcare institutions providing tertiary-level treatment. While acknowledging the role played by such organisations, the PMA argued that the government was overlooking ...
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Voluntary blood donors a must for safe transfusion: PMA

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Association calls for sustainable blood supply, urges end to replacement system IV Report KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) on Sunday called for a shift from Pakistan’s reliance on replacement blood donors to a sustainable voluntary donation system, warning that gaps in safe blood supply continue to undermine healthcare delivery across the country. Marking World Blood Donor Day (June 14), the association said voluntary, unpaid donors remained the backbone of safe transfusion services and were essential for ensuring a consistent and infection-free blood supply. In a statement issued on the occasion, PMA Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro said thousands of patients, including women suffering severe postpartum haemorrhage, cancer patients, trauma victims and those undergoing major surgeries, depend on timely access to safe blood and blood products. Referring to this year’s World Health Organization theme, “One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives” , the as...
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Doctors warn of new protest movement over safety, pay

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PIMA seminar hears calls for protection laws, salary hikes, and action against hospital harassment after acid attack on Dr Mahnoor IV Report KARACHI: Citing a deteriorating and insecure work environment, medical leaders warned of a new protest movement over safety and pay at a PIMA seminar in Karachi on Saturday, demanding legal protection, workplace reforms, and salary increases for healthcare staff. The seminar titled “From Whom Should Healers Seek Healing?” was held in protest against the acid attack on Dr Mahnoor and the rising incidents of harassment faced by doctors and healthcare workers in hospitals, according to a press release. The event was presided over by PIMA Central President Dr Atif Hafeez Siddiqui and PIMA Women Wing Central President Dr Zakia Aurangzeb. Healthcare under control of capitalists   PIMA President Dr Siddiqui said the healthcare sector had come under the control of capitalists and industrialists, limiting ordinary citizens’ access to qualit...
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KU financial logjam: Senate’s moment to act

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Full disclosure, external audit, and dual-track negotiations with Sindh and Islamabad: a gimmick-free way out of KU’s financial impasse. COMMENTARY By Mukhtar Alam KARACHI: The University of Karachi stands at a tipping point. Faculty and employees are staging protests over long-due payments, exposing a crisis that is no longer hidden in budget footnotes. The Senate, as the university’s supreme governing body under the KU Act 1972, has the mandate and the moment to convene an emergency meeting and steer a gimmick-free path forward. Where the crisis comes from KU’s recurring deficit stems from three gaps. First, the Sindh Government’s grant rose 15% for FY 2025-26, but it still lags inflation and the pension bill, which now consumes a growing share of recurring funds. Second, federal HEC funding covers only project and research grants after devolution; it does not fund KU’s salary bill, leaving the university dependent on provincial transfers. Third, internal revenue collection...
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PMA challenges CPSP over stipend enforcement

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Doctors' body proposes reporting portal, audits and sanctions for non-compliant institutions IV Report KARACHI: Welcoming a recent notification by the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) on trainee stipends, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has urged the college to ensure strict and transparent enforcement of the policy through concrete measures rather than routine directives. In a letter addressed to the CPSP on June 1, the PMA said notifications without effective implementation were "meaningless" and called for a robust enforcement mechanism to ensure FCPS and MCPS trainees receive their mandated stipends. A copy of the letter was also shared on social media. The association acknowledged the CPSP's May 30, 2026 notification on stipend compliance but expressed concern over what it described as the absence of a transparent implementation framework. It said postgraduate residents continued to face discrimination, payment delays and denial o...
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