KARACHI: Denial of debate sparks protests: ‘May 12’ haunts City Council
By Latif Baloch
KARACHI, May 21: The City Council, which met here on Monday, witnessed noisy protests when the treasury and opposition benches traded allegations of involvement in the May 12 killings in the city.
At the start of the session, house convener Nasreen Jalil condemned the violent incidents in strong words and expressed her deep anguish over the miscreants’ attempts to disturb the city’s peace and weaken the bond of love and affection among different sections of society. The disturbances, she noted, badly affected the progress of the ongoing development works.
Making an impassioned appeal to the members to work devotedly for the maintenance of peace in the city, she asked the house to pray for those who lost their lives in the violence and also for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Welcoming her remarks, Leader of the Opposition Saeed Ghani requested that members be allowed to hold a debate on the vital issue which concerned all inhabitants of the city. He, however, held the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and its leadership responsible for the tragic incidents.
His allegation provoked the treasury members who started raising slogans against the Pakistan People’s Party, accusing it of disturbing peace on May 12. Opposition members responded in the same manner and there was complete chaos with almost everyone raising slogans at the top of their voices.
The noisy protests continued over the next 15 minutes and the convener’s repeated directives to the members to calm down went unheard or unheeded. The session was adjourned for 15 minutes.
When the house resumed its deliberations, Ms Jalil sought the members’ views on the amendments to the draft CDGK budget-2007-08 as suggested by the Finance and Development Committee of the city government. However, the opposition continued to raise slogans, demanding a debate on the May 12 mayhem.
The house adopted a resolution by majority calling upon the CDGK to earmark Rs5 million for the renovation and construction of the Council Hall.
As soon as the resolution was adopted, the convener adjourned the meeting but the opposition benches continued with their protest against the treasury’s refusal to debate the issue.
Later, Leader of the Opposition Saeed Ghani, who heads the Awam Dost Group, held a press conference along with other opposition leaders. He condemned the treasury benches for evading a debate on May 12 events and criticised the convener for not allowing the public representatives to discuss such a vital issue.
Holding the Sindh government, particularly the MQM, responsible for the killings, he accused them of trying to cover up their crimes through ‘fake’ footage and conflicting statements. However, he noted, people had already watched live footage and knew who were committing such heinous crimes.
“It was a calculated plan to terrorise the opposition, but we will never succumb to their terror tactics,” he declared.
He appreciated the media for exposing what he described as criminals and their crimes, and assured the legal fraternity of full support in their struggle for the supremacy of law and the judiciary.
Leader of the Al-Khidmat Group Rafiq Ahmed also held the MQM and other coalition partners responsible for the May 12 killings, and regretted that instead of confessing to their crimes, they were trying to cover them up through the ‘fake’ footage.
He also demanded that the Sindh governor, the chief minister and the adviser to the chief minister on home affairs be removed.
Leader of the Khidmatgar Group Dr Ziauddin termed the May 12 events ‘state terrorism’ unleashed against innocent citizens, and asked the governor, the chief minister and the adviser to the chief minister on home affairs to step down immediately.
Leader of the Al-Khadim Group Razak Sangrani said that the May 12 mayhem was the next episode after the Nishtar Park tragedy, and said: “Had the culprits of the Nishtar Park blast been arrested, the May 12 tragedy would not have happened.”
Ms Jalil, talking to newsmen after the session, stressed the need for ending polarization in society and said the situation demanded an immediate halt to the blame-game and resumption of efforts towards peace, harmony and development.
She reminded the elected representatives of their responsibility towards restoring peace in the city, and announced that she would soon call a special session of the City Council to discuss the issues concerning the May 12 events.
She said the issue deserved to be taken up on the floor of the house but the opposition should have considered that the ongoing session was for debating the budget.
Treasury leaders Masood Mehmood and Asif Siddiqui told newsmen that the media had not projected the MQM’s image fairly, and insisted that their party believed in peace and progress of the city. They demanded a judicial inquiry into the May 12 incidents.
They urged the opposition to join hands with the treasury to make collective efforts towards developing the city. The blame-game would in no way serve the interest of any party, they added.
