KARACHI, June 19: The Sindh Assembly could not begin a discussion on the provincial budget on Thursday, owing to acrimonious and unimaginative point-scoring bouts between graduate legislators in which the treasury benches lost sight of their responsibility of ensuring a debate.
The session began at 10.30am with Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah in the chair. As soon as some verses from the Holy Quran and a Naat had been recited, the leader of the opposition, Nisar Khuhro, stood up on a point of order to seek permission for a speech on Raziq Khan’s murder.
However, his submissions were drowned in the noisy interventions from the treasury benches which were met by the opposition with even greater force.
The conduct of the ‘graduate’ House degenerated to such a level that even primary class students were put to shame. The situation deteriorated further, with the session reminding one of scenes from a fish market, when the treasury benches moved resolutions that deplored the opposition’s conduct on June 16 when the finance minister presented the new provincial budget.
The treasury benches, especially the MQM legislators, seemed determined to avenge the humiliation of their finance minister by making it impossible for the leader of the opposition to speak.
While Nisar Khuhro kept on grumbling at the top of his voice to attract the Speaker’s attention, supported by his comrades, Syed Muzaffar Hussein Shah ignored him and asked the government members to move their resolutions.
Eager to have their pound of flesh, Iftikhar Chaudhri, Mohammad Hussain, Shoaib Bokhari, Rauf Siddiqui, and Nadir Akmal Laghari moved their resolutions amid pandemonium.
Through one resolution they strongly censured Mrs Farheen Mughal for the “gross disorderly behaviour on June 16 when at the time of presentation of Provincial Budget, she bonfired the budget documents and attempted to put the Assembly Hall on fire”. They demanded that appropriate action under the rules be taken against her.
Through another resolution they condemned “the gross disorderly conduct and behaviour of members of the opposition” during the budget’s presentation when members of the opposition rushed towards the Finance Minister Syed Sardar Ahmed and allegedly attacked him physically, trying to forcibly prevent him from making his speech.
They also allegedly threw budget documents and pencils which hit him. These acts had lowered the dignity of the house in the eyes of the people.
The resolutions were passed unanimously as the protesting opposition members, who were on their feet, were also included among those who had been asked to rise in their seat if they were in favour.
While the opposition members accused the Speaker of ignoring them, the floor was given to MQM’s Mohammad Hussain, who on a point of order made a speech deploring the opposition. He accused the opposition of undermining democratic dispensation.
Mr Hussain accused the opposition members of being “anti-people, anti-state and agents of anti-democracy forces”. He made it clear that if the government members were not allowed to speak, the opposition would not be allowed to speak.
The speaker had to briefly adjourn the session to sort things out. He called the finance minister and leader of the opposition to his chamber but Mr Khuhro did not go as all attempts to persuade him failed.
When the session resumed, Arbab Rahim cautioned both sides against objectionable behaviour and said the same could be detrimental to democracy.
When Nisar Khuhro finally got an opportunity, he questioned the validity of the resolutions passed during the session since no one from the opposition was allowed to speak. The resolutions be expunged, he demanded.
He also quoted rules which specified the manner in which resolutions were supposed to be moved. Mr Khuhro was of the view that the adoption of the resolutions was wrong.
Amid point-scoring bouts, the MQM tried to pull the rug from under the opposition’s feet by moving a resolution on Greater Thal Canal project. At first, when Mohammad Hussain moved the resolution, the opposition was not inclined to give him permission for a relaxation of rules. But then they reviewed their position and agreed to go along with the treasury to forge a common stand.
The mover recalled that on Feb 28 a resolution was passed unanimously, recommending the provincial government to approach the federal government for instructing WAPDA to immediately stop the construction of the Greater Thal Canal as the same was detrimental to the interests of Sindh.
It was also envisaged to make a complaint under Article 155(2) of the Constitution that the said project be halted permanently. Sindh had sent the resolution to the federal government but no response, weight and consideration had been given by it to the unanimously passed resolution.
The opposition moved an amendment which was shot down as it had accused the provincial government of lethargy and criminal negligence in this regard.
KARACHI, June 19: The Sindh Assembly could not begin a discussion on the provincial budget on Thursday, owing to acrimonious and unimaginative point-scoring bouts between graduate legislators in which the treasury benches lost sight of their responsibility of ensuring a debate.
