The Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights of the National Assembly, under the chairpersonship of its Convenor, Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, MNA, in collaboration with the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) Pakistan, convened a detailed briefing session featuring an insightful presentation by budget experts on the Budget 2026–2027 through a Child Rights Lens.

The presentation enabled Members of Parliament to better understand the classification of child-specific expenditures into direct expenditure, indirect expenditure, and general public expenditure, and provided a comprehensive analysis of key sectors including the education development budget of the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training, the development budget of the National Health Services, as well as provincial allocations in health, education, nutrition, WASH (water, sanitation & hygiene), and disaster/flood rehabilitation and management. The presentation also reviewed allocations under the Prime Minister’s Special Initiatives.

An interactive discussion followed, during which Parliamentarians Ms. Shaista Pervaiz, MNA; Ms. Farah Naz Akbar, MNA; Ms. Kiran Imran Dar, MNA; Ms. Saba Sadiq, MNA; Ms. Zeb Jaffar, MNA; Ms. Asia Naz Tanoli, MNA; and Ms. Kiran Haider, MNA engaged with Mr. Amer Ejaz, Executive Director Syed Kausar, Director Programs Muhammad Shahid Khan and Director Quality Assurance Ms. Maryam Jawad on the effectiveness of child-focused allocations in the current budget and identified key gaps requiring policy attention.

The session underscored the importance of strengthening child-responsive budgeting and evidence-based parliamentary oversight for advancing child rights in Pakistan.