KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement legislators staged a token walkout from the Sindh Assembly session on Monday over the speaker’s refusal to allow them to table a resolution that demanded the federal government lift the ban on the telecast of party chief Altaf Hussain’s statements and speeches.

Muhammad Hussain Khan of the MQM sought permission to move a motion for the resolution soon after call attention notices and said the ban, imposed by Lahore High Court five months back, was illegal and unconstitutional.

Millions of Altaf followers in Karachi had started staging demonstrations and the protest would spread to other cities as well, followed by rallies and strikes if the ban was not lifted, he warned.

Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Khwaja Izharul Hasan endorsed his colleague’s stand and said: “We want to express solidarity with our leader through media and convey people’s sentiments to the court through the resolution. We will take up the issue at the National Assembly also”.

MQM’s Syed Sardar Ahmad said that under Article 19 of the Constitution no one except the government had any right to ban freedom of speech. “We are only demanding through the resolution that the federal government should ask Pemra to lift the ban,” he said.

MQM’s Faisal Subzwari said that they would contest the ban in the court as well but raised the question at the same time if someone was victim of selective justice where should one take up his case. If today MQM had been made a target, the day was not far when others would have to face the same situation, he warned.

Senior Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Nisar Khuhro recalled the background of the ban and said the resolution would be in conflict with Rule 125(5) and could result in inviting contempt of court.

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani concurred: “The issue is sub judice. If taken up it will create problems.”

On this, Khwaja Izhar rose from the seat followed by his colleagues and they staged a token walkout while raising slogans of Jiye Altaf.

After the walkout, the speaker took up the motion of the MQM’s Muhammad Hussain and disposed it of because of his absence. The MQM’s Heer Soho’s adjournment motion about convening of a jirga in Garhi Yasin met a similar fate.

Out of four bills on the order of the day, only one bill titled The Sindh Minimum Wages Bill, 2015, which was tabled by Mr Khuhro was unanimously passed into law after the opposition including MQM, which had by then returned to the house, fully supported it.

The other bills were referred to standing committees were: The Sindh Allied Health Professional Council Bill, 2014, The Sindh Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Bill, 2015, and The Sindh Companies Profits (workers’ participation) Bill, 2015.

The last item on the agenda was discussion on quarterly reports on the receipt of the province, current revenue expenditure, current capital expenditure and development expenditure April-June and July–September 2015, which was deferred till next quarterly report was received.

Earlier, about the issue of demolition of residential quarters in the assembly premises, the speaker said that work on car parking plaza had been stopped till alternate residences were arranged for the employees.

Without naming any lawmaker, the speaker said that those doing politics on the issue should also extend help to the poor living in the riverbeds and storm drains.

Khuram Sher Zaman of PTI, who continued to protest in the house over the demolition of houses staged a walkout over the speaker’s remarks.

JPMC doctors

Referring to the issue of JPMC doctors’ strike raised by Khawja Izhar, Sindh Minister for Health Jam Mehtab Dahar said the doctors had agreed work on honorary basis because they failed to qualify for limited seats offered on merit. Hence, they had no right to protest.

The minister’s statement on Thar drew uproar from the opposition when he rejected deaths of 108 children as reported by media and insisted the actual number of deaths stood only at 32.

He argued the major reason behind recurring deaths was birth of premature babies by midwives.

Khwaja Izhar said Thar issue was important and many members wanted to discuss it. The speaker said that some time should be fixed for discussing the issue but then moved to other items on the agenda without deciding it when the house did not listen to him.

The house called to order at 11.45 am was adjourned at 3.45 pm to Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2015