24 April 2004	Saturday	03 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

KARACHI, April 23: The Sindh Assembly on Friday concluded discussion on the adjournment motion moved by opposition leader Nisar Ahmed Khuhro on the killing of MPA Abdullah Murad.

More than 80 members from the opposition and treasury sides took part in the discussion which continued for 22 days.

The rule 76(3) of the Rules of Procedure allows discussion on a motion for not more than two hours. On Friday, as the Minister for Education, Irfanullah Khan Marwat, completed his speech, Jam Saifullah Dharejo's motion seeking the setting up of a special committee of the house to keep a track of the ongoing investigation into the killing of Mr Murad was defeated.

Forty members favoured the motion and 69 opposed it. The speaker, before putting the motion to vote, observed that the house could not form such a committee while a judicial commission headed by a high court judge was already ceased with the matter.

He pointed out that there was no precedence of forming such a committee as the Criminal Procedure Act did not empower members of this house to conduct an inquiry into criminal cases.

The Friday session, which was scheduled to begin at 9am, could not start until 11am due to lack of quorum. However, when at around 11.55am, Law Minister Iftikhar Chaudhry attempted to move a motion seeking extension in time till 12.30pm, the speaker refused to oblige him. Instead of seeking an extension of half an hour, why not go for the afternoon session? he suggested.

Just before the speaker's ruling on adjourning the session till Monday morning, Iftekhar Chaudhry and Nisar Khuhro tried, though in vain, to move their motions under rule 211.

As soon as the proceedings started, the speaker gave the floor to Mr Marwat who was at the conclusion of his speech on the motion on Mr Murad's killing when the session was adjourned on Thursday.

Picking up the thread from where he had left that day, Mr Marwat wound up the discussion from treasury side by saying that he and his colleagues were equally grieved and shocked over the MPA's tragic killing.

Referring to the allegations levelled by the opposition in this regard, the minister lamented that they were bent upon politicizing issue. Instead, he said, efforts should have been made to take the culprits to task.

He conceded that no arrest could be made in the killing so far, but added that this one was not an exceptional case in this context. Rejecting the opposition's allegation of inaction on the part of the government, the minister pointed out said that there were three teams engaged in the investigation process and that 55 people had already been interrogated.

Besides, he said, the judicial commission headed by Justice Leghari of the Sindh High Court had been constituted. Anyone willing to provide information about the MPA's killers may record his statement with the commission.

Mr Marwat regretted that all sorts of allegations, including incompetence and being weak, had been levelled against the government during several weeks of discussion in the house. "Would anyone from the opposition benches like to cite a single instance where curfew was imposed anywhere in the province?" he asked.

About the allegation that trade and business activities in the province had come to a standstill due to law and order situation, the minister said: "Could they tell the house how the Karachi Stock Exchange index shot up to 5,000-6000 points if there was no economic activity."

About repeated complaint that the heirs of Mr Abdullah Murad had not been allowed to lodge an FIR and that the government had registered the same on its own, the minister maintained that the opposition had politicized the issue, by requisitioning the PA session, even before the MPA's burial.

"The government had to take the initiative as nobody had come forward to lodge the FIR of the case involving such a prominent figure," he said, and added that it was not for the first time that the government had to do so.

In this context, the minister gave the example of Mir Murtaza Bhutto's killing FIR of which was first registered on behalf of the government as nobody had come forward to lodge the FIR.

Mr Marwat informed the house that it was also claimed that the only witness to the MPA's killing, Nawab Baloch, had denied his role in the description of the killers' sketches circulated by the police.

He said that the witness had been following the MPA's car when it came under the attack. The minister referred to a private TV channel's report containing an interview with Mr Baloch, and said that the sketches had been prepared on the basis of description by Nawab Baloch.

Declaring that the government would not make any irresponsible statement to implicate an innocent in the murder case, the minister said: "We are not running away from our responsibility. We will not conceal facts and will allow the investigations to take their course till their logical end."

He, however, tipped that the investigations conducted so far suggested that the parties accused of having involvement in the killing had nothing to do with the case. Concluding his speech, Mr Marwat said: "Our intentions are clear and Insha Allah, we will be able to expose the killers of the heinous crime."

Syed Qaim Ali Shah, a senior PPP leader, exercising his right to reply under Rule 192(4), recalled that though the government had registered the FIR in the Mir Murtaza Bhutto murder case, on the orders of the Sindh High Court later, another FIR was lodged on behalf of Ms Ghinva Bhutto and others. Why should not the heirs of Abdullah Murad be allowed to lodge their FIR? he asked.

Mr Shah also questioned the delay in registering the FIR, pointing out that the killing had taken place at 10.30am but the FIR had been registered at 1pm. "This indicates at the government's ill-intentions," he said.

Welcoming the sympathies expressed by many treasury members, including the education minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah said if they really mean it, they should come forward and help Mr Murad's heirs in their bid to lodge the FIR.

As far as the setting up of the judicial commission is concerned, the move is aimed at hushing up the matter, he added. Warning that the killers of Abdullah Murad will have to face pay the price, the PPP leader raised the slogan: Abdullah Murad ka khoon rang laey ga.