KARACHI: MQM gets its resolution on private jobs passed: Opposition cornered
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, May 12: The stormy session of the Sindh Assembly on Thursday was adjourned with a note protest by the joint opposition when Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah declared a resolution moved by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement ‘adopted’ with majority 54 votes, as another one moved by the opposition was defeated with 37 votes.
The opposition, which maintained that the MQM resolution was not only against the interest of the people of Sindh, but also in contravention of the Article 27 of the constitution. While protesting against the resolution, the combined opposition refused to heed the speaker’s repeated calls to restore order and let the house take up other subjects on the day’s agenda.
The MQM resolution, moved by Kanwar Naveed Jamil, through a motion under Rule 211 read:
“This house recommends to the government of Sindh to take appropriate steps to ensure that all multinational companies and commercial enterprises located in the province to give priority for employment purposes to people with local domicile and PRC on merit basis in the areas where such companies and enterprises are situated in the province.”
The opposition’s resolution, moved by Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and defeated in voting, read:
“This Assembly resolves and recommends to the government of Sindh, as is bound by the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, to ensure that employment is provided by all multinational companies and province-based commercial/private enterprises in all their factories and other commercial projects to all people, irrespective of whatever district of Sindh they hold domicile form.”
Before putting the resolutions to vote, the speaker made an abortive attempt to evolve a consensus of treasury and opposition benches on a single resolution on the subject so that the same could be adopted unanimously.
Before the vote, Syed Qaim Ali Shah read out the relevant Article 27 and insisted that the MQM resolution contravened the said article. Mr Khuhro and Makhdoom Jameeluz Zaman drew attention of the chair to the implications of the MQM resolution, maintaining that it would deprive people from interior of the province to get jobs in Karachi, as well as the districts other than they belonged to.
Shazia Marri, Irfan Shah and Hameedullah advocate backed their stance. They also opposed the idea of putting the resolution to vote before attaining a consensus.
MQM’s Kanwar Naveed and Shoaib Bokhari, however, insisted on a vote on their party’s resolution. Mohammad Hussain also rejected the contention that the resolution was in conflict with the Article 27.
Law Minister Iftikhar Ahmed Chaudhry explained that Article 27 pertained to the employment in the service of Pakistan whereas this resolution was about enterprises in private and non-governmental sectors. Moreover, he added, the resolution appeared recommendatory in nature and not mandatory upon the private sector firms.
Later, after question hour, Hameedullah advocate of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, through a point of order, drew the chair’s attention to increase in transport fares, and deplored that instead of approaching the federal government to get the POL prices brought down, the Sindh government resorted to increasing the transport fares, only to burden people. Minister for Planning and Development Shoaib Bokhari said that the proposal had been noted.
Dr Mehreen Bhutto of the PPP, through a point of order, urged the government not to release poisonous water of Manchar Lake into River Indus as already hundreds of people had been suffering from gastro-enteritis after consuming the water.
Mr Bokhari said that Manchar Lake water was being released into the Indus after ensuring adherence to the relevant international formula.
