ISLAMABAD – The National Assembly approved 125 grant requests totaling more than Rs9.17 trillion for 31 ministries and divisions, including the parliament, while dismissing 307 opposition cut motions aimed at reducing allocations for key ministries.
The session was chaired by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presenting the grant proposals during the budget session.
Opposition parties had tabled 587 cut motions against grant requests for six ministries and divisions, notably the Cabinet Secretariat, Energy, Finance and Revenue, Interior, National Food Security and Research, and Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety.
On Sunday, the Assembly addressed cut motions for the first three ministries and divisions. The opposition moved 307 cut motions, including 90 against 18 Cabinet Division grants, 116 against six Energy Division grants, and 100 against 12 Finance Division grants.
Grants approved for 31 ministries, divisions
All cut motions were rejected by a majority vote.
The House approved 29 grants for the Cabinet Division, exceeding Rs1.53 trillion, and rejected all efforts to reduce its allocation and those of its attached departments.
It also approved 14 grants for the Finance Division, six for the Energy Division, five for the Defence Division and defence services, two for the Defence Production Division, and five for the Communications Division.
Additional approvals included nine grants for the Federal Education and Professional Training Division, two each for the Foreign Affairs and Railways Divisions.
Grants for the Climate Change, Commerce, Housing and Works, Human Rights, Industries and Production, Interior, Information and Broadcasting, IT and Telecom, Inter‑Provincial Coordination, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit‑Baltistan, Law and Justice, Maritime Affairs, National Health Services, Parliamentary Affairs, Planning, Privatisation, Religious Affairs, Science and Technology, and Water Resources divisions were also approved.
The Assembly also granted Rs9.03 billion for the National Assembly Secretariat and Rs3.21 billion for the Senate Secretariat.
Ten additional grants were approved for the Interior Division, National Food Security and Research Division, and Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division.
After voting on the cut motions, members appeared visibly fatigued by sunset. In a lighter moment, Speaker Sadiq announced that the cut motions for three ministries had been completed, joking, “Now let us take the fourth ministry.” The remark drew smiles from both sides of the aisle, with some members even joining hands to request an adjournment. The House is scheduled to reconvene on Monday morning.
Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2026
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