KARACHI: Motions on Bugti, rains may stir fireworks: Sindh PA session today
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, Sept 18: The Sindh Assembly will resume its business after eight days on Tuesday with a lengthy agenda on the order of the day. It seems as if the treasury and opposition benches are set to carry out serious business in the House except the adjournment motion on the target killing of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti which can generate heat and lead to rumpus.
Another issue which can attract fireworks and lead to scuttle the proceeding is post rain situation in Sindh, with particular reference to Hyderabad district, when members from the opposition benches would attempt to raise it through the point of order.
The echo of women’s rights is also likely to be heard in the House if the bill to protect women’s rights moved by Shazia Marri was taken up for consideration, which could draw treasury benches closer to the opposition by burying their hatchet.
However, the leader of opposition in Sindh Assembly, Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, in reply to a question told Dawn that Tuesday was the private members day and the first item on the agenda would be his adjournment motion regarding target killing and violation of all religious and ethical traditions in the burial of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, who was also the former governor and chief minister of Balochistan.
“It is a very serious matter and my colleagues expect that the treasury benches would join hands in taking up the adjournment motion and help in adopting a concrete resolution calling upon the federal government to institute judicial inquiry by a judge of the Supreme Court,” he pointed out and said that the Bugti tragedy itself was an event which had jolted the edifice of our country.
In reply to another question, he said that their parliamentary party would meet in his chamber to formulate the strategy before going to the session.
“Our all efforts would be not to give any excuse to the government to runaway from the business on any pretext as there are many pressing issues which call for discussion and decisions like that of the situation created from the recent rains in Hyderabad where even after passage of 12 days water is yet to be drained out from many localities threatening breakout of epidemics,” he said.
Other issues for which opposition members had moved motions pertain to complaints about preparations of new electoral rolls, price hike on the advent of Ramazan, ban on teachers’ unions, budget performance, performance of the public accounts committee.
The items on the order of the day included for the private members day are: 11 motions for leave to introduce private bills regarding women shelter homes, design and construction standards for buildings and others infrastructure facilities, disaster management bill, Sindh regulation and control (use of plots and construction of buildings), Sindh water management ordinance amendment, prohibition on manufacture, sale, use and import of polythene bags bill, aids prevention and control bill, prohibition of marriages with the Holy Quran bill and the prevention of gender harassment at workplace bill.
There are five private resolutions on the order of the day. The resolution regarding scrap tubewells was moved by Imamuddin Shaukeen, immediately cessation of violent excesses moved by Saira Shahliani, medical facilities to the dependent parents of government servants moved by Moin Aamir Pirzada, resolution regarding obtaining undertaken construction of new roads or major repair of old roads under provincial ADP or by the city/district governments moved by Abdul Sattar Ansari, and resolution regarding introduction of Rozgar scheme on the pattern of Rozgar scheme of the federal government moved by Rehana Nasreen.
Other business included consideration of private bill to amend the Preston Institute of Management, Science and Technology and consideration of 10 other private bills under Rule 84.
These bills pertain to protect the rights of women, proper care for senior citizens, legislation for the children in need of care and protection, better health delivery system, amendment in the Dow University of Health Sciences Act, amendment in the Sindh Building Control Ordinance, bill to provide free medical, engineering and business education to deserving students, ban on installation and use of pressure horns, hooters and flash lights by all vehicles plying on roads and the bill to amend the Sindh assembly members (salaries and allowances) Act, and amendments in the rules of procedure as contemplated by sub-rule 4(A), and sub-rule (1) of Rule-217.
