KARACHI, April 17: The Sindh Assembly session was prorogued abruptly on Monday amid rumpus without enabling the members to wind up a debate on the April 11 tragedy at Nishtar Park.
The trouble started when, a few minutes after the day’s deliberations began, the chair informed the leader of the opposition, Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, that the governor had ordered the session to be prorogued and, as such, the opposition and treasury benches should mutually decide who from each side would be speaking today and who would not.
Mr Khuhro wanted to know whether the discussion on the motions would have to be concluded today or it would continue after Tuesday and Wednesday, the two days having been fixed by the speaker as private members’ day.
The opposition leader said many members wanted to express their views and had already submitted their adjournment motions. For the private member’s day, they had signed the register for balloting of the business, to be taken up on Tuesday.
He also contended that the current session had been convened by the government to undertake legislation business, which was yet to be done as over the last two weeks, the house could hold its deliberations only for a few hours on Fridays.
Minister for Mines and Minerals Irfanullah Khan Marwat reminded Mr Khuhro that under the relevant rules, only a two-hour discussion was allowed on any admitted adjournment motion.
He recalled that on Friday, the speaker had given the opposition the option of initiating the debate on the adjournment motion directly, but Mr Khuhro had opted for taking up the business according to the agenda. However, when the question hour was in progress, MMA members raised an objection, and one of them, Hameedullah Khan, agitated to press for initiating the debate. The treasury benches, keeping in view the importance of the tragedy, had agreed to suspend the question hour and start the discussion, he added.
On Friday, the discussion resumed and continued for 45 minutes, the minister said.
On Monday again, he pointed out, when the house reassembled, Deputy Speaker Rahila Tiwana, who was chairing the session, gave an option to the opposition, which preferred the question hour to be taken up first, although the opposition’s attitude during the period appeared non-serious.
Mr Marwat advised the opposition to agree on allowing three more members from each side to speak before the session was prorogued.
However, Mr Khuhro insisted that those willing to speak on this great tragedy must be given the floor.
“If the government wants to run away from the discussion, the chair may prorogue the session without asking the opposition for a mutual understanding,” he remarked.
Nasrullah Shaji and Maulana Umar Sadiq also supported Mr Khuhro’s contention, saying that many more members from MMA and PPP wanted to speak on the motion.
Makhdoom Jamiluz Zaman of PPP said that the opposition wanted to give many suggestions on this very important issue. He said that besides the Nishtar Park tragedy, the pressing issues of katchi abadis, goths, bardana, etc. could be discussed in the house if the session was allowed to continue.
Abdul Rehman Rajput of MMA said that the debate should be completed before the house was prorogued.
Law Minister Iftikhar Chaudhry pointed out that the debate had already consumed more than two hours allocated for a discussion on any adjournment motion. He said that 15 members from either side had expressed their views.
He suggested that the chair should now allow only three members from each side to speak on the motion.
The chair advised the treasury and opposition benches to evolve an understanding on the time to be allocated for the discussion.
The speaker said that while the two sides would be busy consulting each other, he was prepared to give the floor to Abdul Rehman Rajput.
However, many members from both the sides stood up and started speaking, creating a chaotic situation. Makhdoom Jamiluz Zaman, Maulana Omar Sadiq, Ayaz Soomro, Sassui Palijo, Shama Mithani, Nasrullah Shaji, Yunus Barai and Ghulam Qadir Chandio on the opposition benches were on their feet, while Irfanullah Marwat, Qamar Mansoor, Bano Saghir, Nadir Akmal Leghari and Sohrab Serki of the treasury benches were also trying to add their voice.
The chair repeatedly asked the members to behave, and warned that the session would be prorogued if order was not restored. However, the chaos persisted and at 3.35pm, the chair read out the governor’s order to prorogue the session.
Although the treasury members left the house after the order was read out, the opposition members remained seated in the house. Mr Khuhro, Abdul Rehman Rajput and other opposition members made their brief speeches.
DEBATE: During the Monday deliberations, 11 members, five from the opposition and six from the treasury benches, took part in the debate on the adjournment motion on the Nishtar Park blast, which left over 50 people dead and more than 100 others injured.
The casualties included top leaders of several religious parties and groups and the Sunni Tehrik lost its almost entire top brass.
Both the benches condemned the bombing in strongest terms.
The opposition members attributed the incident to the government’s failure, and insisted that the attack was a case of ‘target killing’ whereas the treasury sides said it was the work of anti-state forces bent upon undermining the country’s integrity and solidarity.
Talib Imam of MQM, who was the day’s first speaker, said that this country was created after great sacrifices. Instead of indulging in trading accusation against each other, the members ought to discharge their duty of putting the house in the right direction in order to bring in stability and foil the enemies’ designs.
Mohammad Anwar Mehar of PPP said that if the government could not ensure protection to the life and property of citizens, what would be the worth of the development work it was carrying out. He was of the view that law and order could be improved by providing justice to people and eliminating the culture of corruption and ‘recommendation’.
Begum Gulzar Unnar of PML-F stressed that all illegal immigrants, including Burmese and Iranians, should be sent back to their countries of origin from Sindh. He also called for checking unemployment.
Munawwar Ali Abbasi of PPP said that despite spending billions of rupees on law and order, the lawlessness had assumed a level it had never reached before.
Dr Saghir Ahmad of MQM said unity among Muslims was the need of the hour. He said instead of accusing each other, all segments of society should focus on exposing the perpetrators of the tragedy.
Humera Alwani of PPP said the government had failed to provide security to people. She demanded that the investigation reports of all high profile killings should be submitted before the house. In this context, she mentioned the cases of slain MPA Abdullah Murad, Munawwar Suhrawardi, bomb blasts at religious places and five star hotels, etc.
Bano Saghir of PPP-Patriot said that politicizing the issue would not help arrest the mastermind and culprits of the blast.
Hafiz Mohammad Naeem of MMA termed it a conspiracy hatched by US, Israel, India and Zionist forces with the aim of triggering sectarian violence in the country.
Mohammad Hussain of MQM said that the suicide bombing had earned a bad name to Islam. He said every citizen knew those who had been brainwashing innocent children to use them in carrying out bomb blasts.
He said such suicide bombings had been taking place in other provinces also but nowhere the opposition or other quarters would demand the governor or home minister concerned to step down. He said that such a practice was seen only in this province, adding that the purpose of such a demand was to create anarchy in the province. He was of the view that the motive behind the bombing was to block the ongoing development and inflow of investment in Sindh.
Ms Sharfun Nisa of PPP and Farida Baloch of PML-Q also spoke on the issue.
When the house was called to order at 11.05am, Deputy Speaker Rahila Tiwana took the speaker’s chair. She announced Zuhr break abruptly at 12.25pm after an exchange of words with Sassui Palijo of PPP. Ms Palijo wanted to speak on a point of order but the Ms Tiwana did not allow her to do so. The member was defying the chair’s order to take her seat. Finally, many members from the treasury benches, including Mr Nisar Khuhro, stood up and sought the chair’s attention to certain points.
“You always disturb the house,” Ms Tiwana remarked, and Minister Irfanullah Marwat was heard telling the chair: “if they don’t pay heed to the chair’s call, don’t hesitate in adjourning the session.” Eventually, the chair announced the Zuhr break.
When the house reassembled at 1.35pm, Mr Mohammad Hussain took the speaker’s seat as a member of the Panel of Chairmen.
He allowed Ms Plijo to speak on her point of order. Ms Palijo told the house that she had been receiving death threats. Describing the harassment as part of the political victimization of opposition, she said that she had lodged an FIR and also informed the high officials about the matter. She said her uncle had also been attacked by unknown armed men the other day, but he had escaped unhurt. An FIR to this effect had also been registered, she said, adding that if any harm came to her or any of her family members, the responsibility would rest on the administration and government.
Makhdoom Jamiluz Zaman said that it was an alarming situation and called for a debate.
Some other members from the opposition benches wanted to speak and raise points of order but the chair announced resumption of the debate on Nishtar Park blast.
KARACHI, April 17: The Sindh Assembly session was prorogued abruptly on Monday amid rumpus without enabling the members to wind up a debate on the April 11 tragedy at Nishtar Park.
