The Sindh contractors association staged a protest outside the Karachi Press Club on Wednesday, accusing the provincial government’s Works and Services Department of unfairly distributing development funds and demanding greater transparency in the allocation of public projects.

Contractors Association of Sindh President Dost Ali Rind and General Secretary Asghar Ali Memon led the demonstration, where a large number of contractors carried placards and banners while chanting slogans against what they described as corruption and discrimination.

The protesters claimed that the Sindh government’s Annual Development Programme (ADP) allocated only Rs1,000 for the entire financial year to 177 development schemes.

“This is blatant injustice to small and professional contractors. Such an allocation cannot fund even a single development scheme,” Rind said.

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He alleged that authorities had allocated full budgets to projects awarded to a small group of influential contractors.

Rind also claimed that the unequal distribution of development funds violated transparency principles and alleged that some influential contractors had received preferential treatment because of their close links with the secretary of the Works and Services Department.

General Secretary Asghar Ali Memon accused officials of treating contractors unfairly across the education, works, public health and engineering departments.

He called for a high-level inquiry into what he described as hidden tenders and alleged collusion within the Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority.

The association demanded that the government immediately cancel the current budget allocations in the Works and Services Department and revise the Annual Development Programme to ensure equal funding for all approved schemes.

The protesters also called for transparent investigations into officials from the Works and Services Department, Planning and Development authorities and the procurement regulator. They urged the government to take legal action against anyone found responsible for financial irregularities.

The association further demanded that authorities protect the rights of small contractors and award public projects strictly on merit.

The protesters warned that they would expand their protest campaign and approach the courts and accountability institutions if the government failed to address their demands within seven days.