07 September 2004	Tuesday	21 Rajab 1425

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

KARACHI, Sept 6: The requisitioned session of the Sindh Assembly was prorogued by Deputy Speaker Ms Rahila Tiwana amid an uproar triggered by her refusal to take up an adjournment motion , opposing the issuance of national identity cards to illegal immigrants, out of turn.

Noisy scenes were witnessed in the house as enraged opposition members tore off copies of the order of the day and chanted slogans of Bengali na khappan... Indian na khappan... Bihari na khappan.

The session had been requisitioned primarily for debating the alleged rigging in the recent by-election in Tharparkar. But opposition leader Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, on a point of order, told the house that the motion pertaining to illegal immigrants had been deposited with the assembly secretariat three/four days back, and insisted that it be taken up out of turn.

Ms Tiwana, who was chairing the session, was not prepared to oblige him, saying that in the previous session, the opposition itself had objected to any deviation from the agenda. As she turned down the request and announced commencement of the question hour, the opposition was up on its feet, chanting slogans. The chair prorogued the session.

Speaking on a point of order earlier, Nisar Khuhro pointed out that baking pans (Tawwa) had been hung at the doors of the Chief Minister's House by those who were opposed to his policies. While the opposition members kept chanting 'shame... shame...' the deputy speaker said this was not in order.

As usual, the proceedings, which were scheduled to start at 9.30am, commenced more than two hours late. Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal staged a walkout in protest against Ms Tiwana's authority to chair the session. The MMA disputes her election to the office of the deputy speaker and the matter is pending a verdict before a court.

At the very outset, Ms Tiwana and Chaudhry Iftekhar, Minister for Law, congratulated the PPP-Parliamentarians' Syed Qaim Ali Shah on his appointment as the party's Sindh chief, replacing Mr Nisar Khuhro, who would continue to act as the parliamentary party leader.

The law minister accused the opposition of wasting time. Mr Mohammad Hussain of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement put the onus the lack of quorum on the opposition. Nisar Khuhro retorted by saying that treasury members had themselves been coming very late so they should not put the blame on opposition members.