Business Recorder
KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a joint resolution reaffirming Pakistan’s friendship with China, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations, while also approving six pieces of legislation during a session chaired by Deputy Speaker Anthony Naveed. Law Minister and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Zia ul Hassan Lanjar moved the resolution, noting that Pakistan and China had completed 75 years of diplomatic relations. Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi had independently sought to table a resolution on the same subject, following which both sides agreed to present it as a joint resolution. The house adopted it without dissent. Speaking in support, Senior Minister for Transport and Information Sharjeel Inam Memon said the Pakistan-China friendship would endure permanently. He credited the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the late Benazir Bhutto with laying its foundations. He said President Asif Ali Zardari had elevated it to new heights by initiating the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He added that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had consistently championed the relationship. He also noted that the President had introduced Chinese language into the national curriculum, and that Karachi maintained large-scale trade ties with China. The assembly separately passed six bills, all tabled by the Law Minister. These included the Sindh Workers Welfare Fund Bill, the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and National Institute of Child Health Bill, the Jinnah Hospital and NICH Regulation and Management Bill, the Sindh Blood Transfusion Bill, a bill regulating private security companies and guards, and the Sindh Medical and Dental Education Bill. Under the Jinnah Hospital and NICH Regulation and Management Bill, full administrative control of both hospitals will vest in the Sindh government. The session also featured a question hour on the Department of Zakat and Religious Affairs, with Minister Riaz Hussain Shah Sheerazi responding to written and supplementary questions from members. MQM member Qurat ul Ain asked whether the Sindh government was formulating any policy to sponsor Hajj for those who cannot afford it. Sheerazi said no provincial policy currently existed but that he would take up the matter with the federal Ministry of Religious Affairs to secure dedicated funds. MQM member Fouzia Hameed suggested that a helpline or dedicated cell be established to address the concerns of Hajj pilgrims from Sindh while they are abroad. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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