KARACHI, Nov 27: The inaugural session of the Sindh Assembly, scheduled for Thursday morning, was postponed indefinitely, reportedly at the request of an individual.

This postponement, second since Nov 25, has been termed by major political parties in the assembly as “an attempt to bulldoze the mandate of the people of Sindh and foist a minority and unrepresentative clique at the top”.

The government decision followed a request by Grand National Alliance’s candidate for the top slot in Sindh, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, who had requested the postponement to help political groups overcome what he termed “deadlock”.

Before the announcement of the decision on PTV, Sindh governor Mohammedmian Soomro, had told newsmen that Rahim’s request was aimed at facilitating efforts for evolving “a good combination and obtaining support for a stable government.”

This decision was taken even though the GNA, which includes the PML-Q’s 15, National Alliance’s 14 members in the present strength of 163 members, was in no position to form government, minus PPP (67) and MQM (41).

The total strength of the Sindh Assembly is 168, but after six out of nine members who were elected on both national and provincial assembly seats, has been reduced to 163. PPP (Parliamentarians) 67, MQM 41, PML-Q 15, National Alliance 14, PML-F 13, MMA 10, Mohajir Qaumi Movement 1, and independents two.

Earlier in the day, the MQM’s decision to sit on the opposition benches in the national and provincial assemblies, and consequently withdrawing support for the Jamali government, had exacerbated the constitutional crisis.

While the MQM’s Dr Farooq Sattar was evasive, the PPP strongly condemned the postponement on the asking of a minority party.

The PPP maintained that the postponements were part of the plan to repeat the National Assembly experiment, to facilitate the worst kind of horse trading which was “glorified as conscience voting”.

The PPP’s acting Secretary-General, Raza Rabbani, said that instead of accepting the supremacy of the assemblies and allowing the parties to show their strength on the floor of the House, the government had opted for an undemocratic method which would have great repercussions.

It may be noted that this was the third time that a political party which enjoyed support of the majority in Sindh was being deprived from forming a government.

“It is for the House to decide who commands majority,” said Rabbani emphasizing that the Jamali government had lost majority in the House after MQM’s decision to sit in the opposition.

He also said that there was no provision in the Constitution, for a non-member to become leader of the House.

Nisar Khuhro, the Sindh PPP president and parliamentary leader, claiming comfortable majority, regretted that rulers had not learnt their lesson from the 1970 incident and were determined to once gain impose their will on the people.

“Why isolate Sindh and act on the whims of an individual? They are pushing the people of Sindh to the wall without realizing its dangerous consequences,” he said.

The PPP and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal were in a late-night session discussing the government’s “undemocratic” move.

According to sources some “patriots” had arrived in the city reportedly on a special mission.