ISLAMABAD -UNS: The Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights (PCCR) of the National Assembly, led by its Convenor Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, MNA, in collaboration with the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) Pakistan, organized a high-level briefing to review the Federal Budget 2026–27 through a child rights lens and strengthen parliamentary oversight of public investments in children.
The session featured the presentation of SSDO’s policy brief, titled “Children in the Federal Budget 2026–27: A Rapid Analysis Through a Child Rights Lens,” which offers one of the first comprehensive assessments of federal budget allocations benefiting children in Pakistan. The report highlighted that although children make up nearly half of the country’s population, Pakistan still lacks a dedicated mechanism for tracking and reporting child-focused public expenditure.
Budget expert Amer Ejaz outlined the methodology used in the analysis, categorizing expenditures into child-specific (direct), child-related (indirect), and general public spending. This approach enabled parliamentarians to better understand how public finances support children’s survival, development, protection, and participation.
According to the briefing, the Federal Budget 2026–27 allocates approximately PKR 106.5 billion for child-specific expenditures and PKR 55.8 billion for child-related spending across sectors such as education, health, nutrition, child protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). When allocations under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) are included as social protection interventions, total child-related expenditure reaches PKR 914 billion. Despite this, SSDO noted that child-focused spending remains a relatively small share of the overall federal budget.
The analysis showed that major child-specific allocations are concentrated in the education sector, including development spending by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training and the Prime Minister’s Special Initiatives, particularly the establishment of Daanish Schools in underserved regions. The report also reviewed allocations supporting immunization, nutrition, child protection institutions, and provincial investments in health, education, sanitation, and disaster rehabilitation that indirectly benefit millions of children nationwide.
An interactive discussion followed, with MNAs Shaista Pervaiz, Farah Naz Akbar, Kiran Imran Dar, Saba Sadiq, Zeb Jaffar, Asia Naz Tanoli, and Kiran Haider engaging with SSDO representatives, including Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas, Director Programs Muhammad Shahid Khan, Director Quality Assurance Maryam Jawad, and budget expert Amer Ejaz. Participants examined the adequacy, effectiveness, and equity of child-focused budget allocations while identifying critical policy gaps requiring parliamentary attention.
Speaking on the occasion, Syed Kausar Abbas emphasized that child-responsive budgeting is not merely a fiscal exercise but a fundamental obligation under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He stressed the need for governments to maximize available resources to safeguard children’s rights and called for the institutionalization of child-focused budget analysis within Pakistan’s public financial management system.
