25 February 2005	Friday	15 Muharram 1426

KARACHI, Feb 24: The requisition session of the Sindh Assembly is being held on Friday amid allegation of serious irregularities and land grabbing having been levelled against government functionaries.

The allegations have come not from the opposition, but the chief minister himself.

The sacking of Imtiaz Shaikh as revenue minister and counter-charges against Dr Arbab Rahim has provided enough material to the opposition for firework on the floor of the house that could put the coalition on the defensive. Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah had summoned the assembly to meet on Feb 15 following a requisition signed by 59 MPAs belonging to the PPP and MMA.

At that point of time, there was no sign of the tussle between Dr Arbab and Imtiaz Shaikh, and the opposition was likely to focus on its own agenda, studded with the routine issues of law and order, kidnapping of judges, political victimization, unchecked price-hike, Greater Thal Canal, Kalabagh Dam, delay in announcing the NFC award, the Qambar tragedy where four persons were killed by police, deaths of some people in police custody, a bomb blast in Hyderabad, etc.

The chief minister on Thursday night chaired a meeting of the coalition's parliamentary party to formulate the strategy for the session and respond to the volley of questions from the opposition benches.

The PPP parliamentary party also met at the residence of its parliamentary leader Nisar Khuhro and decided the modus vivendi for taking on the treasury benches amid evidences of corruption involving government functionaries and highlight the government's failure in delivering goods.

The opposition members belonging to both the PPP and MMA have already submitted resolutions and adjournment motions pertaining to pressing issues, including privatization of the KESC, political victimization of Eng Wali Mohammad Rahimoo for challenging Arbabs in Thar, and the government's failure in bringing an end to the gang-war in Lyari which has already claimed more than half-a-dozen lives.

The opposition also intends to take up the issue of the hike in the prices of essential commodities, particularly wheat flour, sugar and petroleum products, had made the life of common man miserable.

Differences among the coalition partners over job quota has been delaying recruitment despite lifting of a ban several months back and the delay has added to the miseries of the educated but unemployed army of youth.

The inordinate delay in NFC award would also create a fuss on the floor of the house as the opposition has long been stressing that the delay was depriving the cash-starved Sindh of its share due to failure of the government in pursuing its case in the Centre forcefully.

According to MMA's parliamentary party leader Maulana Sadiq, the MMA legislators would meet in his chamber and formulate a strategy before going to the house.