June 27, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 22, 1429

KARACHI, June 26: The Sindh Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed the demand for grants for supplementary expenditure 2007-08 of Rs29.1 billion against 51 demands without any discussion as no cut motions were moved.

Earlier, the house approved the charged expenditures pertaining to discretionary funds/expenses of the judicial law courts, Sindh Assembly and the Governor’s House.

On Friday, when the assembly resumes its business, the schedule of authorised supplementary expenditure for 2007-08 will be laid out before the house for final approval. This will be followed by discussion on demands for grants for 2008-09.

The charged expenditures, according to Article 172 of the Constitution, can only be discussed for an hour and need not be put to the vote.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, quoting the article, said the discussion was not mandatory and it was the discretion of members to discuss it or not. They could not be forced, as was pointed out by Syed Sardar Ahmad.

Mr Ahmad had suggested that as the charged expenditures did not require voting, the time of the house could be saved if the next item on the order of the day was taken up.

Jam Madad Ali, leader of the opposition, asked the speaker that if the charged expenditures could not be put to the vote, what was the use of discussing the issue?

The speaker replied: “I believe the discretionary funds are used honestly. As no one wanted to speak, let us move on the demand for grant for supplementary expenditure 2007-08.”

Pointing out that as no cut motions were moved against any demand, he asked Information Minister Shazia Marri, who was nominated as the in-charge minister for finance by the chief minister, to make the motion for taking up the demand for grants of the supplementary expenditure.

Before the minister could move the motion, Shoaib Bokhari of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement suggested that instead of taking every demand one by one, they should be clubbed together and put to the vote.

Ms Marri moved 12 demands for grants one by one, which were unanimously granted by the house.

Later on, when some other members suggested the rest of the demands be clubbed together, she moved demands from No 13 to No 51, clubbing them together, which were granted to the government to meet other expenditures for the financial year ending on June 30, 2008.

After the demand for grants for supplementary expenditure 2007-08 were granted, the house was adjourned at 2.15pm till Friday.

Earlier, the assembly session was called to order at 11.30am, two hours behind schedule, as usual. Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro was in the chair. After recitation from the Holy Qur’an, Na’at and Fateha, the speaker drew the attention of the members towards newspaper reports pertaining to MPAs who bring armed guards along with them without assembly passes.

“We all ought to take care of the sanctity and security of the assembly and it is obligatory on our part not to bring any person without a pass and also not to bring with us private guards, which is not allowed under the assembly rules,” he said.

The speaker said he had directed the security staff to put up a tent for guards and guests of MPAs near the containers outside the assembly.

Certain members criticized journalists for ignoring their speeches, which they delivered on Wednesday during the general discussion on the budget. Provincial Revenue Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, without naming names, drew the attention of the house to a newspaper report published on Thursday about the security of the assembly, saying other coverage had been “blacked out.”

Speaker Nisar Khuhro, responding to the point of order raised by Murad Ali Shah, said “our media friends take notes of the proceedings. We are grateful to them as their work was to file the report.”

Later on, the information minister came to the press gallery and offered regrets over the remarks of the revenue minister to journalists and assured them that she would also offer regrets from the floor of the house.

In the house, she made a brief statement under Rule 215 regretting the remarks.Murad Ali Shah said that just as there is freedom of the press, there is also freedom of expression, however, he offered his regrets if anyone had been hurt by his remarks.