04 September 2004	Saturday	18 Rajab 1425

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KARACHI, Sept 3: The Sindh Assembly met here on Friday in a requisitioned session and took up normal business in a comparatively disciplined manner, though against the expectations of certain quarters.

Chairing the session was also a plain sailing for Ms Rahila Tiwana, whose election has remained controversial and pending a verdict by a court of law, as the main opposition party PPP-P appeared not inclined to press on its stand on the issue.

However, the MMA did stage a walkout saying it did not recognize Ms Tiwana a member. The deputy speaker chaired the session as the Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah has proceeded on leave for an official visit to the United States.

The House adopted two resolutions moved by the treasury benches. The first resolution, adopted unanimously, condemned the damage caused to the sacred places in Najaf and other places in Iraq, particularly Roza-i-Hazrat Ali (RA).

It asked the Sindh government to take up the matter with the federal government which, it said, should play its due role in ensuring that allied forces did not cause damage to any sacred place and also did not cause harm to any innocent Muslim in that country.

Through the other resolution, adopted with 74 votes in favour and 42 against amid protest by opposition benches, congratulated Mr Shaukat Aziz on his elevation to the slot of prime minister.

"The assembly is of the firm view that under his dynamic leadership, our country will become stronger and emerge as a developed country in all fields," said the resolution.

Earlier, the assembly went into the session at 10.25am and the chair announced the names of the panel of chairmen. They were Mr Muhammad Hussain, Ms Naila Inaam, Mr Rajveer Singh and Dr Sikander Mandro.

Minister for Law Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed sought the chair's permission to move a resolution under Rule 103 (2) for relaxation of Rule 211 of the Rules of Procedure. The matter was put to the house and several members from both the sides stood up and started speaking simultaneously, creating confusion.

Mr Muhammad Hussain, member of the Panel of Chairmen, took overthe chair from Ms Tiwana and, in his ruling, clarified that it was put to the house not for a vote, but the chair had just granted permission for moving the other resolution.

He held out the assurance that the opposition benches would be provided an opportunity to express its views on the resolution. However, the resolution was adopted without any debate.

The opposition leader Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, expressing discontent, said: "Why were the treasury benches avoiding a discussion despite enjoying a majority in the house?"

Mr Khuhro maintained that the opposition also wanted to moveidentical resolutions which could be, as per the usual practice, cobbled together with the one moved by the law minister.

It was not a matter of making points because sentiments of all Muslims had been hurt due to the allied forces' actions in Iraq that caused damage to the sacred places. Mr Khuhro criticized the chair for depriving the opposition of an opportunity to express its views by getting the law minister's resolution adopted in a haste.

Hameedullah Khan and Nasrullah Shaji of MMA told the house that on the last day of the previous session, the MMA had sought permission to table a resolution on the US aggression in Iraq. But the permission was denied on the assurance that a joint resolution would be moved in the next session. Today, he regretted, the law minister moved a resolution on the subject from treasury benches and the chair got it adopted in a hurry only to prevent the opposition members from moving their own resolution and expressing their views.

"We protest against this attitude," the MMA leaders said, and staged a walked out. Mr Khuhro said the PPP-P endorsed the resolution (moved by the law minister) but would not join the MMA legislators in their token walkout.

When the questions hour was taken up, Ms Rahila Tiwana took over theseat of speaker again to chair the proceedings. At this stage, the MMA members staged a walkout again, this time for the rest of the day's deliberations.

Mr Khuhro drew the chair's attention to the parliamentary norms under which some members from the treasury benches used to go out of the house to bring back the legislators having staged a walkout.

"Knowing that the opposition had reservations over the election of the deputy speaker, no one from the treasury benches bothered to bring the MMA members back to the house," he deplored.

He told the house that PPP-P, too, had the same reservations but it had put them in abeyance for the time being only because it wanted to take up more pressing issues on the floor of the house and for which the opposition had requisitioned the session. Later, the chair adjourned the session till Monday morning.