KARACHI: Govt avoiding opposition in assembly: Khuhro
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 4: The Leader of Opposition in the Sindh Assembly, Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, has claimed the government is reluctant to face the opposition in the assembly. He said if the Treasury did not have the courage to face the opposition why were they in government. He also accused the government of pushing Sindh towards disaster.
He said the proof that the government was avoiding the assembly is reflected by its avoiding discussion of the various adjournment motions the opposition had submitted for deliberation on the floor of the House. These included rigging in the by-elections, deteriorating law and order situation, the Dow Medical University admission policy and the confirmation of 700 lecturers appointed by the government on ad-hoc basis
Mr Khuhro was addressing a press conference in his chamber in the Sindh Assembly soon after their requisitioned session was prorogued on Wednesday after the day’s proceedings.
He criticised Chairman Iqbal Quadri, presiding over the session as a member of the panel of chairman, for abruptly announcing adjournment of the session sine die, without fixing a time for pronouncing the ruling which he had reserved regarding admissibility of his adjournment motion.
In the motion he raised the issue of a murderous attempt on the life of PPP MNA Dr Azra Pechuho and other PPP leaders. Dr Azra and other PPP leaders were travelling on polling day of the by-elections in PA-71Jamshoro when some armed men in the presence of a provincial minister opened fire on their vehicle.
Replying to a question, he said under Rule 207 (1) on proroguation of the session, all notices other than notice of intention to introduce a bill shall lapse. However, in order to discuss the pressing issues for which the privilege and adjournment motions were moved, the opposition had to submit fresh motions. He said they were expecting that the session would last for a few days so that their adjournment motions could be taken up as only one adjournment motion could be taken up in the day’s session.
He said Dr Mehreen Bhutto had submitted an important adjournment motion to discuss the closure of admission in Dow Medical University Karachi on students other than those hailing from Karachi while students from Karachi were entitled to get admission in medical colleges in other districts.
To another question he said the opposition members would again submit the adjournment motions to raise the issues for discussion on the floor of the House which was the highest elected forum in the province.
Mr Khuhro said they also wanted to discuss the law and order situation, and kidnapping of children for ransom in Kashmore, Jacobabad and other places in the interior but the session was abruptly prorogued. He said the last four sessions did not last even four days, and three sessions were requisitioned by the opposition.
At the start of the press conference, Mr Khuhro said April 4 was fixed knowingly by the Speaker for holding the requisitioned session because it was the death anniversary of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the first elected prime minister of Pakistan.
He claimed the Speaker knew that the PPP leaders and MPAs would be in Larkana to pay homage to their leader and felt the Treasury benches had an opportunity to trap. The treasury felt the opposition would not turn up for its requisitioned the session. “We accepted this challenge and after attending all functions organised to pay tribute to late Bhutto, all of us were present in the House on time. However, despite quorum, neither the speaker nor the treasury members turned up for another 20 minutes.
