British Deputy High Commissioner Alison Blackburne meets Speaker Provincial Assembly of Sindh Syed Awais Qadir Shah
KARACHI, September 2, 2026: British Deputy High Commissioner Alison Blackburne called on Speaker Provincial Assembly of Sindh Syed Awais Qadir Shah at his office today.
Speaker Provincial Assembly of Sindh Syed Awais Qadir Shah warmly welcomed the distinguished guests.
The Speaker was accompanied by Members of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh Jam Shabbir Ali Khan, Heer Soho and Shazia Karim, Secretary Provincial Assembly of Sindh G.M. Umar Farooq, and Director General Media Irfan Ahmed Memon.
British Deputy High Commissioner Alison Blackburne was accompanied by Deputy Head of Mission Tom Burge and Huda Ikram, Political Advisor at the Office of the British Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi.
During the meeting, the two sides held a detailed exchange of views on the prevailing political situation in the country, provincial autonomy, governance, democratic institutions, parliamentary affairs, and ways to further strengthen economic and people-to-people relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
British Deputy High Commissioner Alison Blackburne also discussed the current political situation in the country and the ongoing debate concerning the provinces.
Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah said that the Provincial Assembly of Sindh had passed several resolutions on important matters concerning the province, including a resolution passed in February this year regarding sanctity of the geographical boundaries of Sindh.
Referring to the ongoing Assembly session, Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah, said that former Speaker, senior Member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Nisar Ahmed Khuhro had moved an Adjournment Motion, following which the matter was currently under discussion in the House.
Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah said that the ongoing debate in the House also indicated that opposition members were also not in favour of any change to the geographical boundaries of Sindh. Instead, they were raising issues concerning the empowerment of local government institutions, governance, resources and financial distribution.
Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah said that Sindh was the only province where continuity in the holding of local government elections had been maintained. He emphasised that elected local government institutions play a vital role in ensuring effective governance and the provision of basic services to the people.
British Deputy High Commissioner Alison Blackburne asked what the ongoing debate would lead to and what the next steps would be.
Discussing the parliamentary business of the Assembly, the Speaker clarified that the current debate would be concluded through a joint resolution, after which the House would return to its regular legislative and parliamentary business.
Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah also referred to a recent seminar organised by a business organisation in Lahore, where the issue of creating new provinces in Sindh was discussed. He questioned what mandate such forums had to make decisions concerning matters related to the province.
Regarding conveying Sindh’s position to the public and relevant stakeholders in Islamabad, the Speaker said that the provincial leadership was clear about its position and was acting in accordance with the directions of its leadership.
Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah said that Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the senior leadership of the party had always adopted a clear and unequivocal position on matters concerning Sindh.
The Speaker said that when the issue of new canals on the River Indus emerged a year ago, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had taken a clear and unequivocal position, following which the federal government withdrew its decision.
British Deputy High Commissioner Alison Blackburne said that while political debates were important, the primary focus should always remain on what practical measures and facilities could be delivered to the people.
Responding to this, the Speaker said that, in line with the vision of Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah had consistently emphasised public-private partnerships for development projects and the delivery of public services. He said that this model was among the successful examples in Pakistan and had also received international recognition.
The Speaker said that the prevailing global financial situation and economic pressures had created budgetary challenges across the country, affecting all provinces. He said that, under the prevailing circumstances, the priority was to complete ongoing development schemes, infrastructure and existing projects rather than initiating a large number of new projects.
The British Deputy High Commissioner also inquired about the overall environment in the House.
The Speaker said that since assuming office, he had made every possible effort to provide maximum time and opportunity to the opposition benches. On several occasions, opposition members had been given more speaking time per member than members of the treasury benches.
Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah said that he regularly meets and consults members from both sides of the House and encourages them to uphold parliamentary traditions and discipline, refrain from using unparliamentary language, and avoid personal remarks during proceedings.
British Deputy High Commissioner Alison Blackburne expressed her interest in further strengthening business and economic relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
On the occasion, the Speaker also briefed her about the symbolic session of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh and other initiatives aimed at introducing students and young people to parliamentary democracy and connecting them with the parliamentary process.
The British Deputy High Commissioner also inquired about the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus and asked how the Speaker’s Office could support its work.
The Speaker informed her that Women’s, Minority and Child Caucuses had been established in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, and assured her that the Speaker’s Office extended all possible cooperation and support to facilitate their activities and parliamentary initiatives.
During the meeting, British Deputy High Commissioner Alison Blackburne also informed the Speaker about her plans to visit Sukkur in the coming days or weeks.
The Speaker welcomed her proposed visit to Sukkur and assured her that every possible cooperation and facilitation would be provided during her visit to Sukkur and any other part of Sindh.
Following the meeting, Speaker Provincial Assembly of Sindh Syed Awais Qadir Shah accompanied British Deputy High Commissioner Alison Blackburne on a tour of the new and historic Assembly Houses of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh.
Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah briefed her on the parliamentary history of Sindh, the historical and parliamentary heritage of the Assembly, and its legislative procedures.
As a memento of her visit, the Speaker presented the British Deputy High Commissioner with books on the history of Sindh and the history of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, along with a legacy shield of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, a Sindhi cap and an Ajrak.
British Deputy High Commissioner Alison Blackburne thanked Speaker Provincial Assembly of Sindh Syed Awais Qadir Shah for his valuable time, warm hospitality, and cooperation.
