Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday chaired a meeting of the provincial cabinet that signed off on a sweeping agenda — from new laws for Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) to a centralised postgraduate medical residency policy.
The cabinet also approved amendments to technical and higher education laws, major allocations for Sukkur’s development, prison food, revival of the Karachi BRT Red Line Lot 2 through direct contracting, transfer of the Sindh Business One Stop Shop (SBOSS) to the Sindh IT Company, land for a strategic tide gauge station, changes in workers’ welfare representation, a 15-day relaxation in the annual fishing ban and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to export Sindh’s autism care expertise to Islamabad.
On the recommendations of the finance committee, the cabinet approved two major development projects for Sukkur with an immediate allocation of Rs80 million.
The first project entailed the development and upgrade of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Wellness and Recreational Park in Sukkur located adjacent to the Sindh Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases for Rs228.50 million.
The second project allocated Rs110.346 million for the establishment of a dedicated women block at Mir Masoom Shah Library in Sukkur, which operates in affiliation with the Digital British Council Library in Karachi.
The finance committee also approved an additional allocation of over Rs916.14 million for the current financial year for the prisons under the head of Jails Feeding Diet Food Charges.
The cabinet cleared for legislation the ‘Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and National Institute of Child Health (NICH) Operation and Management Act, 2025’ following the transfer of these tertiary care institutions from the federal government to the Sindh government under an operations and management agreement.
While the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) already functions under its own provincial legal framework, the new bill formalises Sindh’s control over the JPMC and NICH. It standardises recruitment rules for the executive director - and introduces a formal mechanism for removal on grounds of unsatisfactory performance or incapacity.
To retain federal-provincial coordination, the composition of the governing board has been expanded to include a joint secretary from the federal health ministry. The bill will now be introduced in the Sindh Assembly.
Responding to a volatile regional environment and the need to maintain uninterrupted supplies of life-saving drugs, the cabinet approved a modified proposal to continue the existing Electronic Provincial Procurement Data System (EPADS) framework tender for the financial year 2026-27.
The health procurement committee had earlier sought multi-year exemptions and structural rule amendments relating to framework contracts and corporate relationship committee timelines. The cabinet instead allowed straightforward continuation of the current EPADS tender for drugs, medicines, kits, oncology and vector-borne disease items for 2026-27 and authorised the administrative department to issue advance invitations for the 2027-28 tender in July 2026 to avert future delays.
To end fragmented post-graduate induction practices across medical universities, the cabinet approved implementation of the Sindh Post-Graduate Residency Policy, 2026, across all public sector medical universities and teaching institutions.
Under the previous arrangement, FCPS II and other post-graduate training intakes were conducted independently by individual universities, leading to inconsistencies in merit calculations and seat allocations. The new policy introduces a transparent, centralised entry test and a uniform merit formula, backed by a provincial financial commitment of Rs4.739 billion to fund 3,794 sanctioned training slots.
Main features of the policy include a strict 50:50 seat distribution between FCPS/MCPS and MD/MS streams in jointly approved programmes and a ‘zero vacancy mechanism’ allowing swift transfer of vacant seats within the same speciality stream to optimise training capacity.
The policy also envisions a provincial committee to oversee policy, and sets tight disciplinary timelines, under which the candidates who would fail to join after selection would be debarred from the next induction, while residents abandoning programmes midway would face a three-session ban and mandatory refund of all stipends received.
Acting on the investment department’s proposal, the cabinet approved a transition plan to hand over technical and operational management of SBOSS to the Sindh IT Company.
The cabinet also approved the allocation of 670 square yards of vacant state land from Na Class No 255 situated at Deh Lal Bakhar, Mauripur subdivision in District Keamari, following a request from the Surveyor General of Pakistan.
The land will be leased for 99 years to the Survey of Pakistan, Ministry of Defence, for establishing a strategic tide gauge station and levelling origin at French Beach, Karachi.
On a summary from the livestock and fisheries department, the cabinet granted a 15-day relaxation in the annual fishing ban for the upcoming season.
Normally, fishing for fish and shrimp is banned from June 1 to July 31 every year to protect stocks during peak breeding. Acting on persistent demands from local fishermen, the cabinet approved a relaxation window from June 1 to June 15, 2026.
The CM said the decision aimed to provide short-term economic relief to small-scale fishermen before the breeding closure resumes for the remaining period.
The cabinet also approved the draft ‘Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Amendment Bill, 2026,’ which, following in principle approval by the IBA Board of Governors, authorises the IBA to establish new campuses, academic centres and research facilities both within and outside Sindh, explicitly including the Islamabad Capital Territory.
In an effort to fast-track the long-delayed Red Line Bus Rapid Transit project, the cabinet approved a high-priority summary from the transport department to accelerate construction on the Lot 2 corridor.
Following termination of the previous joint venture contractor over persistent delays and non-compliance, the cabinet authorised emergency engagement of the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) under a direct contracting, government-to-government arrangement.
To ensure rapid relief along University Road, the cabinet endorsed a 90-day deadline set by the CM for completion of mixed traffic lanes, underpasses, elevated structures and the associated drainage network.
The cabinet also approved off-budget emergency funding to TransKarachi to enable quick financial mobilisation for the FWO, which had already deployed personnel and heavy machinery to restore the corridor.
To streamline technical education, the cabinet approved the ‘Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (STEVTA) Amendment Bill, 2026’ to introduce mandatory registration for all public and private technical education institutions operating in Sindh, creating a unified provincial quality assurance and management framework.
The cabinet allowed the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPD) to export Sindh’s expertise in autism rehabilitation to the federal capital.
It approved a 10-year memorandum of understanding between the Centre for Autism Rehabilitation and Training Sindh (C ARTS) and the Directorate General of Special Education in Islamabad under the Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training.
Under the arrangement, C ARTS would provide specialised technical assistance and advisory support for establishing the federal government’s Centre of Excellence for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Islamabad. All operational and establishment costs would be borne by the federal government.
To plug gaps in worker representation, the cabinet approved an amendment to the Section 3(2)(v) of the Sindh Workers Welfare Fund Act 2014.
While the 13-member Workers Welfare Board was reconstituted and notified on February 4, 2026, the revised clause now prescribes strict eligibility criteria for the four members to be chosen from among workers.
The seats would be reserved for genuine workers’ representatives or activists who were actively engaged with labour issues or possessed proven experience in working directly for labourers’ welfare and interests.
