KARACHI: Sindh PA resumes debate on law, order today
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, Dec 4: The Sindh Assembly, which resumes its adjourned session at 9.30am on Friday, would continue the debate on law and order.
The debate initiated on a motion moved jointly by Law Minister Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed and Leader of the Opposition Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and remained inconclusive when the session was adjourned on November 17 for Eid holidays.
In the absence of Chief Minister Sardar Ali Muhammad Mahar, the debate was initiated by the treasury side and Mohammad Hussain was the first speaker. Nadir Akmal Leghari, Shabbir Qaimkhani and Anwar Mahar of treasury benches and Rafique Engineer and Abdullah Murad of the opposition benches took part in the first day’s debate.
Mr Khuhro has submitted three draft resolutions with the assembly secretariat. Through one of the resolutions, it has been demanded that minimum wages be raised from Rs2,500 per month to Rs5,500 per month in line with the increase in salaries, allowances and other facilities granted to legislators.
Another draft resolution demands that murder in the name of custom, like Karo-kari, be declared culpable homicide under section 302 PPC. It asks the government for legislation to amend PPC and other laws accordingly, rendering Qisas and Diyat inapplicable in Karo-kari cases.
In the third draft resolution, the opposition has called on the provincial government to pay compensation to the heir of an innocent person who would be killed by a dacoit or any personnel of a law-enforcement agency, or dies in an act of terrorism.
The resolution pertaining to minimum wages reads as under:
“Whereas, Article 38 (a) of the Constitution lays down as a Principle of Policy and enjoins upon the State to secure the well being of the people, irrespective of sex, caste, creed or race by preventing the concentration of wealth and means of production and distribution in the hands of a few to the detriment of the general interest” and Article 38 (e) further lays down as a Principle of Policy and a duty of the State to ”reduce disparity in the income and earnings of individuals;
“Whereas, the salaries, allowances and other facilities provided to the members of the parliament have recently undergone an average increase of 117 per cent;
“Whereas, there has been an alarming increase in poverty and in the number of people living below poverty line, specially in the province of Sindh; And,
“Whereas, there is a continuous stagnation in trade, Industry and agriculture and in the economy as a whole for the last more than seven years due to severe curtailment in the purchasing power of the common man as a result of government policies, and this disastrous cycle cannot be broken until the incomes at the lower strata of our society are rehabilitated and considerably raised;
“This House resolves that the minimum wage in the country should also undergo a raise similar to that allowed to the members of the Parliament. The minimum wage, presently fixed at Rs2,500 per month should be increased to Rs5,500 per month.
“This House further records its observation that the revised minimum wage of Rs5,500 would merely cater to the basic domestic needs of the lower strata of the society. The expenses on education, health, sanitation, clean drinking water would still be beyond the reach of the common man.”
