KARACHI: PA adopts resolution on disaster management: MPA barred from session
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, Nov 6: Treasury benches in the Sindh Assembly on Monday demonstrated their determination that they meant business in the ongoing session when the day witnessed half of the legislation business, listed on the order of the day, covered by voice votes despite protest by the joint opposition who remained standing throughout one-and-half hours after Zuhr prayers.
Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, who was presiding over the session, before calling it a day around 3.30pm announced suspension of the membership of Rafique Engineer of PPP for Tuesday for defiance and repeated disruption in the proceedings.
This punitive action of the speaker was greeted by the treasury members while the opposition benches raised slogans in protest.
Rafique Engineer was agitating to press the speaker that before taking up the government resolutions, their resolutions on fatal virus of dengue fever, deposited two days back for taking up out of turn, be taken up as the virus was increasing number of deaths every day.
The speaker was of the view that as health minister was not present in the house due to hospitalisation of his wife, the resolution would be taken up on Tuesday which was a private members day. This ruling was agitated by the entire opposition who joined their colleague by rising from their seats in support of the contention of Rafique Engineer.
Dr Mehreen Bhutto, Zahid Bhurgari, Shama Mithani, Ayaz Soomro, Shazia Marri, Farheen Mughal, Sassui Palejo, Nawaz Chandio, Nasrullah were repeatedly asked by the chair to take their seats but to no avail. Irfanullah Marawat, Qamar Mansoor, Sohrab Serki and a few lady members also stood up from their seats to draw attention of the chair of the disorder in the house.
The law minister was heard saying that the opposition members were not interested in the legislation business. After failing to control the situation, the speaker adjourned the session for five minutes around 2.55pm and resumed the business at 3pm only to witness the indiscipline.
The chair asked the law minister to take up the next item on the agenda for consideration of the government bill. As the law minister was moving the motion for consideration of the bill regarding Dow University of Health Sciences (Amendment) Bill , 2005 amidst uproar by the opposition, there was exchange of words between the leader of opposition Nisar Ahmad Khuhro who was saying that instead of sending the bills to the committee why it was taken up for consideration.
The speaker was heard saying that he would not take dictation from him how to run the house. “This is not PPP’s meeting,” he remarked. These comments were responded by the opposition with uproar and finally the speaker adjourned the session.
The business which was carried on the day included adoption of two resolutions authorising the parliament -- to create a national disaster management system and to amend the Seed Act 1976 -- which were moved by the minister of law and parliamentary affairs. Besides, it included announcement of assent by the governor to the bills Sindh Acts No II, III and IV of 2006 – Sindh Water Management (Amendment) Act, 2005, Sindh Animals Slaughter Control (Amendment) Act, 2004 and Sindh Finance Act, 2006, laying of six ordinances before the assembly and introduction of five government bills in addition to the questions hour on irrigation and power department.
The ordinance which were laid before the house were: The Sindh Freedom of Information Ordinance, 2006, The Sukkur Institute of Business Administration ordinance, 2006, the Sindh Public procurement Ordinance, 2006, the Sindh local government (Fourth amendment) Ordinance 2006, The Sindh development Authorities Law9revival and Amending) Ordinance, 2006 and the Societies Registration (second Sindh Amendment) Ordinance 2006.
Likewise, the government bills which were introduced included the Sindh Pension Fund (Amendment) Bill 2006, NED University of Engineering and Technology (Amending) Bill 2006, Sindh Vocational Training Council Bill, 2006 and the Sindh Criminal Prosecution Service (constitution, functions and powers) Bill 2006.
However, consideration of the governor’s message on the bill regarding Sindh Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2004 was deferred on the request of Law Minister Iftikhar Chaudhry for Thursday by the speaker.
Earlier, the adjournment motion of Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, which pertains to anomalies of not enlisting hundreds of eligible voters in the new electoral rolls under preparations, was admitted for discussion on Thursday as the last time of the agenda by speaker as it was not opposed by the law minister.
The speaker also reserved his order for Tuesday after the discussion on admissibility of privilege motion of Ms Sharfunnisa Leghari regarding insulting behaviour of the DSP with her on one of the polling station on the polling day of by-election in PS -75 Dadu V.
Before the government resolution regarding authorizing the parliament to create a national disaster management system was adopted, the house witnessed a serious discussion opened by Shazia Marri of the PPP. She pointed out that the opposition bill on the subject had already been pending since 2005 and it would be better if the assembly should make necessary legislation to meet such situation by taking up the pending bill instead of asking the parliament for creating such system. She was supported by Rafique Engineer, Saifullah Dharejo, Humera Alwani, Nisar Ahmad Khuhro and Syed Qaim Ali Shah.
Emphasising the urgency of creating such system and the laws, they said that Sindh was in the zone where earthquakes could occur. Recently the province had suffered with calamities of heavy rains and floods resulting in failure of infrastructure as such the bill pending should be taken up.
Syed Qaim Ali Shah contested the statement of law minister that under Article 144 of the Constitution if two provincial assemblies pass the resolution, the parliament would formulate the law. He pointed out that assemblies of three smaller provinces had passed resolutions against Kalabagh Dam and NFC Award why the parliament had not made any legislation so far in this regard. Besides, he said, the resolution would be a mockery of the demand for provincial autonomy by authorising the parliament to create authority for overcoming any disaster situation as if the provincial assembly was not competent to make the legislation. He said that the subject was within the orbit of the Sindh assembly and the resolution was not according to the rules.
The resolution was supported by Muhammad Hussain, Iqbal Quaderi, and Dr Sohrab Serki from the treasury benches who asked the opposition members to take up the disaster issue seriously as it was an important resolution. They pointed out that the provincial government had already set up a committee to suggest ways and means to create a cell for disaster management. The committee comprises the concerned experts with Senior Minister Sardar Ahmad as its head.
The law minister said that if Punjab and another province adopt the resolution the parliament would adopt necessary legislation for the country but if the Sindh assembly would also adopt the resolution, the Sindh government would be consulted and would be in a position to prevail in accommodating its point of view.
After the question-hour, the speaker allowed Munawwar Ali Abbasi and Mehreen Bhutto to speak on a point of order.
Munawwar Ali Abbasi raised the issue of high handedness by the government functionaries against poor families in his constituency in Larkana to harass them to take possession of their houses. On this, the speaker said that this was not a point of order.
Dr Mehreen Bhutto pointed out towards serving of illegal notices to 600 employees of Khairpur textile mills for evicting them from the colony. She asked the chair to take cognisance of the notices. The speaker said he would look into it.
The proceedings started at 11.11am with Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah in the chair which continued in orderly manner till 12.50 pm when a 40-minute break for Zuhr prayers was announced.
