KARACHI: A few hours after the grenade attacks on a girls’ college, a private school and a police station, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah assured the Sindh Assembly on Friday that he would leave no stone unturned to protect “our children and citizens”.

Assailants riding motorbikes threw grenades at the Mobina Town police station in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, APWA Girls College in Karimabad and a private school in North Nazimabad, injuring a few people, including a teenage student.

Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan raised the issue in the house on a point of order.

Condemning the attacks, he wondered why the government was not formulating its strategy for the security of educational institutions in the city.

“If our children are not secure, the entire proceedings of the house are meaningless,” he said, urging the chair to take up his resolution on the subject for further discussion.

Responding to his point of order, the CM made a statement on the floor of the house that terrorists involved in attacks on educational institutions would be apprehended soon. “We have accepted their [terrorists’] challenge...we will protect not only out children but every citizen,” he added.

Terming the attacks on the educational institutions a ‘cowardly act’, the CM said: “The children who have been injured are our children and the children of Sindh. I can say with confidence that no grave incident has occurred in Sindh. Look what is happening in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”

He said despite limited resources “we have made better arrangements in Sindh where we have over 40,000 schools”.

He said that the Sindh government had accepted the challenge to protect its people and it had taken effective steps against terrorists.

Mr Shah said that he would have no objection if the opposition wanted to discuss the policy in the house.

Earlier, Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro also replied to the criticism of the leader of the opposition.

He said that despite maximum efforts of the government the terrorists managed to strike in the city. “The children belong to all of us and are very dear to us, but this impression is incorrect that the government is not doing anything.”

He said that the government was not sleeping, and it was taking necessary steps and arrangements to protect the children.

Mr Khuhro said it was not appropriate to say that there had been no educational policy during the past three years.

He said the opposition leader’s resolution about the security of schools should be discussed if he had submitted it.

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, who called the house in order at 11.10am, suggested if the opposition and the government agreed the resolution on schools security could be taken up on Feb 14 after the questions hour.

The opposition also launched a noisy protest when Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, who was presiding over the session, ruled out of order the adjournment motion of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz lawmaker’s Sorath Thebo regarding death of Thar children due to malnutrition.

Mr Khuhro wanted to clarify some point but he requested the chair to ask the opposition members to take their seats. However, her repeated directives were not heeded by the opposition and she adjourned the house for 10 minutes. After 25 minutes when the house resumed business the deputy speaker gave the floor to Ms Thebo who read out her adjournment motion. Mr Khuhro opposed it saying the issue was already discussed in the house to which the chair again ruled the motion out of order.

The opposition protested against the move and there was a verbal brawl between Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmaker Khalid Ahmed and Ms Raza. She adjourned the sitting abruptly at 2.30pm till Monday.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2016