KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Tuesday called upon the judiciary on behalf of the Sindh Assembly to review the contempt of court verdict against former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.

When decisions could be reviewed on appeals of ‘others’, why could not the review petition of Mr Gilani be also decided soon, said the chief minister while welcoming Mr Gilani to the assembly.

The ex-PM was seated with PPP leaders Farooq H. Naek and Fawad Chaudhry in the speaker’s gallery.

Earlier, the CM termed his visit to the assembly an honour and said Mr Gilani had assumed the prime minister office when Pakis-tan had been passing through a difficult phase following the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi. Those were testing times, he said, adding that it was Asif Ali Zardari who provided leadership to the country and the party and Mr Gilani who as prime minister played an important role in promoting democracy amid economic, political and social crises. The former prime minister set an example by attending parliament sessions, he said.

He said the ex-PM steered the country out of it and put it on the road to progress.

He said Mr Gilani paid several visits to the flood-hit areas of Sindh in 2010 and 2011 proving that he felt for the people. Without taking into account the difficulties, he discharged his duty as a party faithful in mitigating difficulties of the calamity affected families.

Senior minister Nisar Ahmad Khuhro paid tribute to Mr Gilani for his courage and bold stand that he had taken before a judge where instead of seeking bail in the cases, he asked the judge that either he be arrested and sent to prison or warrant for his arrest be withdrawn.

Mr Khuhro said although his young son had been kidnapped, he continued to play his political role without making a hue and cry.

PPP leaders Sharmila Faruqi, Dr Lalchand, Humesh Kumar Malani, Jam Khan Shoro, Dr Sikan-dar Mandhro, Makhdoom Jameel-uz-Zaman and Khurshid Junejo said the period of Mr Gilani’s premiership was a glorious chapter of democracy in the history of Pakistan.

Syed Sardar Ahmad, Dr Saghir Ahmad, Abdul Rauf Siddiqui and Bilquees Mukhtar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement also praised Mr Gilani for facing the cases against him with courage.

Throughout his premiership he proved to be the prime minister of all, they added.

Leader of the opposition Shaharyar Mahar and Jam Madad Ali said that as prime minister his policy was of non-discrimination towards lawmakers of both treasury and opposition benches.

They requested Mr Gilani that being a senior leader of the PPP he direct the Sindh government to pursue the policy laid down by him in Sindh, and all ‘fake’ cases against workers of the opposition parties be withdrawn.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmaker Hafeezuddin said the country needed politicians like Mr Gilani who could have realisation of the circumstances through which the country was passing. He also requested Mr Gilani to ask the Sindh PPP to take along the small opposition by treating its members on a par with PPP legislators.

Jam Madad Ali from the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional recalled that when on a visit to Sindh as prime minister, Mr Gilani had not only invited him to a meeting with the entire opposition in the Sindh Assembly but had also asked the chief minister to provide development funds to all members of the house without any discrimination.

Earlier, on arrival in the assembly hall, Mr Gilani was accorded a warm welcome by all legislators by standing and thumping of desks.

Speaker Agha Siraj Dur-rani briefly recalled his political career from Nazim to the highest elected office of chief executive. Mr Gilani, like his predecessors prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, had been appearing in courts and facing cases of political victimisation with courage, he said.

On Tuesday, which was the second day of general discussion on the Sindh government budget for 2014-15, only three legislators had the opportunity to speak on the budget when the house was adjourned at 2.15pm to meet on Wednesday at 10am.

Earlier, soon after the house was called to order at 10.40am, PML-N parliamentary party leader Irfanullah Khan Marwat through a point of order drew the attention of the house towards the need to take the opposition into confidence about possible reaction to the Zarb-i-Azb operation launched against militants by the army in North Waziristan.

He said he had read in newspapers that some important decisions had been taken for maintaining law and order in the province, but the elected representatives were unaware of it.

Speaker Durrani said MQM lawmakers had also raised the same issue and had asked for taking them on board. He said he had sent a message to the chief minister to arrange a meeting of the legislators of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly to apprise them of the decisions.

Ghulam Quadir Chandio of the PPP said they all prayed for the success of the operation, but the people of Sindh were concerned about the internally displaced persons (IDPs) likely to be shifting from North Waziristan to Sindh as such there was a need to devise a strategy to check their entry.

He said intelligence agencies knew how people entered the province and got shops on double rent. “We are not against Madaris, but it needs to be inquired that who is funding them,” he insisted.

Budget

Bilquees Mukhtar of the MQM, who was the first to speak on the budget, said instead of spending Rs7 billion for installing reverse osmosis plants, water pipeline be laid from Mithi to Tharparkar which would cost Rs200 million only and benefit 10 villages.

She also stressed the need to provide Rs40 million to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital to equip it with modern machinery.

She said instead of imposing indirect taxes on laboratories, laundries and other petty businesses, landlords and other wealthy people be brought under the tax net, and under-invoicing and smuggling be curbed and trade deficit controlled to meet the burden of Rs14 billion deficit.

Mehtab Akber Rashdi of the PML-F said in the deficit budget the burden of deficit was not borne by the government but it directly affected the common man.

The MQM lawmaker suggested that the Sindh government raise its voice to get its share from the federal government to implement its projects of Lyari Expressway, S-3, K-4, KCR, mass transit, Karachi cadet college, Orangi Town water pipeline etc.

Ms Rashdi said it was for the first time in the history of Sindh that the outlay of development budget was reduced from Rs185 billion of 2013-14 to Rs168bn for 2014-15. She said there was no doubt that the federal government did not pay the due share of Sindh from the divisible pool, but the Sindh government did not raise a powerful voice against it. And one must be prepared mentally that in the coming year, too, Sindh would not be getting its due share and hence development schemes would not be implemented, she said.

Khurshid Junejo of the PPP said linking Keti Bundar with the main railway line augured well. He also said that there was a dire need to improve education standard in government institutions as at present their quality was worse than those in federally administered tribal agencies and Balochistan.

However, he welcomed the increased allocation for maintenance and repair work of government buildings and suggested that in the allocation of funds it should be kept in view that the areas where development schemes were not implemented earlier be given more funds.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2014