KARACHI: PA witnesses exhausting ‘fight for honour’
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, Nov 8: The Sindh Assembly on Wednesday failed to take up any legislation business as members from both sides of the divide wasted much of time in the four-hour session in exchanging hot and harsh words.
Pandemonium and commotion continued until Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah called it a day at 3.05pm to meet again on Friday at 9 am.
The house started its deliberations at 11am in a peaceful atmosphere but remarks by PPP’s Zahid Bhurgari, who was speaking on a point of order, offended MQM members.
Mr Bhurgari, while drawing attention of the chair to the eviction notices issued to the residents of Latif Colony, UC-1 Qasimabad, Hyderabad, remarked that people, on the one hand, would express loyalty and sympathy with Sindhis by wearing Sindhi cap and Ajrak and, on other hand, they would bulldoze houses of Sindhi people. Although, he did not mention any name, his remarks invited strong protest from MQM members and over a dozen them rose from their seats to deplore the member. Taking notice of the remarks, the chair asked Mr Bhurgari to stop speaking and sit down but he continued with his speech. He did not stop even when his mike was switched off.
Later, the chair ordered that Mr Bhurgari’s speech be expunged from the point his was asked to stop speaking.
Mohammad Hussain, a minister from the MQM, who was given the floor after Anwar Maher had presented his point of order, recalled that the treasury and opposition had reached an understanding on refraining from targeting each other’s leaders. He was heard saying that if the opposition would not honour it and indulged in mudslinging targeted at other party’s leader, then it would also face the same treatment.
Mr Hussain turned emotional when he said: “Agar hamare leader ki topi uchali jaegi to tumhari leader kay dupatte bhi uchaale jaen ge. Tumhari quaid jo dupatta orrh kar dunya bhar main phir rahi hai, woh dupatta bhi uchhala jae ga.”
The minister’s outburst provoked PPP members Shama Mithani, Sharfunnisa Leghari, Mehreen Bhutto, Ferheen Moghal, Shazia Marri, Shamim Ara, Humera Alwani and Sassui Palejo who deplored him for passing ‘unparliamentary’ remarks. All opposition members supported their women colleagues by rising from their seats.
Treasury members responded in the same manner with women members of the MQM, supported by Shakir Ali, Qamar Mansoor and Faisal Sabzwari, leading the counter offensive.
An ending bout of hot and harsh words ensued and nothing was audible.
The speaker seemed helpless as nobody appeared ready to heed his call to calm down. He also tried to ask leader of the opposition Nisar Khuhro to prevail upon his colleagues as he could not hear anyone when 50 people would speak at a time.
The chaos prevailed for a considerable time before there was calm for Azan-i-Zuhr. Mr Khuhro took the advantage of the silence and questioned the speaker’s move to expunge Mr Bhurgari’s remarks while those of Mr Hussain on his leader’s scarf were equally offending.
Before the chair could respond to Mr Khuhuro’s question after the Azan, Sassui Palejo of PPP rose from her seat and started speaking. Other women members on opposition benches also stood up in her support, prompting the chair to warn Ms Palejo against obstructing the proceedings. The speaker also warned her of action and this triggered another round of noisy protest leading to chaos in the house.
Mr Khuhro insisted that the chair should expunge Mr Hussain’s remarks as it had done in the case of Mr Bhurgari under discretionary powers. He maintained that the Mr Hussain had escaped the action because he was a minister.
Giving his ruling, the speaker said he would proceed only after going through the video to find out what was objectionable in the minister’s remarks. He then announced Zuhr break.When the house reassembled at 2pm, Senior Minister Syed Sardar Ahmad tried to pacify the situation by suggesting that both Mr Bhurgari and Mr Hussain should apologise for passing undue remarks. Mr Hussain said he was ready to apologise if Mr Bhurgari did the same.
In the meantime, Mr Khuhro drew the chair’s attention to insult and threat that, he claimed, had been hurled by Mohammad Hussain while there was chaos all around. He quoted the minister as warning the opposition members: “You are here in the assembly only because we have allowed you in… you cannot come to the house without our consent.”
Mr Khuhro urged the speaker to make Mohammad Hussain to apologise to the house for hurling the insults and threat. “We are under threat and the speaker must take action against the minister for subjecting us to threats,” he added.
The speaker said that he would give his ruling on the matter only after going through the video of the proceedings.
This provoked the opposition members who again started shouting and there was a complete chaos in the house that prompted the chair to adjourn the sitting for 10 minutes at 2.17 pm.
However, the house reassembled after some 25-30 minutes and the speaker told the house that he had seen video of the part of the proceedings during which Mr Hussain had uttered that “if they (opposition) would pass indecent remarks against our leader, we would also do the same against their leader.” The speaker’s words again provoked opposition members who stood up and resumed their noisy protest.The speaker said both sides should offer regrets to the house in the interest of the house business. He said he had asked the secretariat to transcribe contents of the video. Syed Sardar Ahmad had made a request for the same Mr Khuhro could also have a copy on request, he added.
Saifullah Dharejo, who was later allowed to speak, responded to the alleged threat by Mr Hussain, and maintained that Sindh was Sindhis’ motherland. “Kisi ke bap ki taqat nahin keh woh hamain yahan aanay say rokay.”
Mohammad Hussain, Qamar Mansoor and Faisal Sabzwari made brief speeches criticising the opposition’s attitude. Mr Sabzwari referred to the Mr Dharejo’s remarks about arrest of Mohammad Hussain, and said that in Pakistan, suffering jail terms for raising voice for people’s due rights was not a crime. “And we are proud of having done this,” he added.
Giving his ruling, the speaker said that henceforth, no point of order would be allowed to be raised. He also announced that all objectionable remarks be expunged.
Earlier, after question hour, Rafique Engineer, Sassui Palejo, Sharfunnias Leghari, Jam Mehtab, Shazia Marri, Shamim Ara, Jam Tamachi, Nisar Khuhro and Mehreen Bhutto of PPP; and Naila Inam of PML were allowed to speak on their points of order.
