KARACHI, Nov 15: The Sindh Assembly session witnessed uproar on Wednesday when Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim and Leader of Opposition Nisar Ahmad Khuhro exchanged accusations and passed personal remarks while deliberating on the Sindh Disposal of Urban Land (Repeal) Bill, 2005.

The chief minister, who entered the house around 11.25am, said that all land transactions and allotments were being carried out in a transparent manner by a committee and if any one proved corruption in the land allotment he was ready to resign from office. He referred to the period when the Pakistan Peoples Party was in the government and remarked that amenity plots used to be allotted on cigarette packets.

He alleged that 400 acres for the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute for Science and Technology was acquired at a throwaway price. Amid rumpus from the opposition benches, he was heard saying that during the PPP regime precious lands of Mai Kolachi was distributed among themselves. He said it was because of corruption that their chief minister and prime minister were living abroad.

The CM also charged that the front man for Nisar Khuhro had become a millionaire. Responding to the accusations, Mr Nisar Khuhro said that the land for ZABIST was acquired after meeting all requirements and condition and if the government wanted to investigate they were welcome. He questioned transparency in balloting of Taiser Town plots. He said that the government had already investigated all matters from 1996 to 2006 when he was in the government but failed to find any illegal practice. Mr Khuhro asked Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah to investigate the charges or the chief minister should apologised.

Earlier, Senior Minister Syed Sardar Ahmad said that the objectives of the Sindh Disposal of Urban Land (Repeal) Bill, 2005 were aimed at making transaction of the land transparent and allotting the lands for amenity purposes including educational institutions at 50 per cent cost.

Law Minister Iftikhar Chaudhry said that the ordinance was promulgated in the absence of the assembly.

Mr Khuhro said that the ordinance was issued in view of the misdeeds of the rulers in which it was specified that henceforth auction was made mandatory for sale or transaction of any plot. He alleged that the ordinance was being changed in order to bribe people before the next elections.