KARACHI: Requisition session put off for week on first day
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 21: The requisitioned session of the Sindh Assembly which began here on Wednesday was adjourned to next Wednesday amid complete chaos persisting for more than 15 minutes.
The day’s proceedings started at 10:45am and adjourned by Iqbal Qaderi, who was presiding over the session as a member of the Panel of Chairmen, at 1:40 pm.
As the treasury members stood up to leave the hall, there was uproar from the opposition, which was accusing them of running away from debate on substantive issues.
Before the House could take up the day’s agenda, Leader of the Opposition Nisar Ahmed Khuhro asked for relaxation of rules to allow him to move a motion under Rule 178. The motion pertained to expressing solidarity with the judiciary and praising the role of society during the current crises in the country.
Law Minister Iftikhar Chaudhry opposed it, arguing that the issue referred to by the mover was an important constitutional and legal one and the Supreme Judicial Council had disallowed any comment on it. As such, he added, the house should avoid a debate on the issue.
When Mr Khuhro’s request was put to vote, it was rejected by majority, 52 for and 57 against. However, the opposition members raised the slogans of ‘shame… shame…’ to condemn the treasury side for using its majority to defeat a move.
When the House assembled in the morning, Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah presided over the session.
Before commencement of the question hour, Jam Tamachi of PPP staged a token walkout against failure of the House to deliver over the past four years, saying that it had failed to resolve any of the problems being faced by the province. Soon afterwards, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal members staged a walkout amid acrimonious scenes in the house. The trouble started when Hameedullah Khan of MMA tried to raise the judicial crisis but he could not be heard owing to the noise. Later, Rafique Engineer and Nawaz Chandio of PPP persuaded MMA legislators to return to the hall.
The speaker was heard saying that he had already announced commencement of the question hour, at 11:15am. After 20 minutes later, he left the House. Iqbal Qaderi took the Speaker’s seat to preside over the remaining part of the proceedings.
Many treasury and opposition members, including Dr Sharfunnisa and Sassui Palejo of PPP and Begum Gulzar Unnar and Naila Inam of PML-F raised points of order on various issues.
While Local Government Minister Mohammad Hussain was making a detailed statement, many opposition members accused the treasury benches of wasting time.
Ministers Irfanullah Khan Marwat and Nadir Akmal Leghari objected to the opposition’s attitude. Mr Hussain asked the chair to bring the House in order so that he could complete his statement.
Failing to bring the House in order, the chair called it a day and left the house amid complete chaos with many opposition members expressing their resentment over adjournment of the session for a whole week.
