KARACHI: Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani on Friday warned the members, who had been elected on MQM tickets and defected to the Pak Sarzameen Party, that he could send references against them to the Election Commission of Pakistan to disqualify them if they did not end their protest.

The issue emerged when Saifuddin Khalid raised the problem of scarcity of potable water in his constituency of Orangi Town.

While explaining the matter before the house, Mr Khalid, who has defected to the PSP, said he had brought his clothes and chickpeas with him to stay on the ground of the house until water supplies reached his area.

MQM believes the matter should have been tackled much earlier

He then left his seat and sat on the ground in front of the speaker’s chair chanting the slogan ‘give us water’.

Initially, he demanded 100 water tankers for parts of Orangi which, according to him, had been facing shortages for long.

As Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro rose to reply, the protesting MPA’s party comrades and members from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and MQM reached him, some of whom first tried to persuade him to go back to his seat but could not succeed and eventually themselves joined the protest.

Minister Shoro said Mr Khalid’s party had been ruling the city for more than three decades, yet, they failed to deliver to voters who kept electing them every time.

“Pakistan Peoples Party is trying its best to provide water to people in every part of this city, including Orangi,” said Mr Shoro.

At that point, some of the members started filming the protest on which the speaker asked PTI’s Khurram Sher Zaman and others not to tape the proceedings, saying it was against the rules, but he received a deaf ear.

Opposition Leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan and other senior lawmakers remained in their seats.

However, some MQM members observed after the session that the matter pertaining to references against the defectors could and should have been tackled much earlier.

As the protesting MPA lay down on the floor with others surrounding him, the chair asked Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro to table four bills on the agenda.

Since there was no demand by the opposition benches to hold discussions, the bills were passed into law in less than an hour.

They were: The Sindh Employees Social Security (Amendment) Bill, 2018; The Sindh Employees Old-Age Benefits (Amendment) Bill, 2018; The Sindh Minimum Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2018; and The Sindh Workers Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

As the chair adjourned the session for Monday, everyone, including Mr Khalid’s own comrades and those sitting in galleries, left the house. However the assembly’s secretary and other staff stood beside the MPA helplessly.

The protesting MPA sent a message from inside the hall to journalists in the evening that he was still inside.

Mr Durrani told reporters after the day’s session that Mr Khalid had taken the house “hostage” and undermined its sanctity. He said no member could sit in the house after adjournment of the session and such sit-in was illegal and appropriate action could be taken against him.

Sindh University

Opposition Leader Khawaja Izhar demanded explanation of the notification apparently issued by Sindh University which asked all its campuses to use Sindhi and English languages for signboards and building titles.

Speaker Durrani said the vice chancellor had already issued a clarification which showed such reports about the issue were groundless.

Education Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar said he had taken up the issue with the VC who said no such notification was issued. However, he said a team would be sent to the university to investigate the matter.

Conocarpus trees

Speaking on her calling-attention notice, Irum Farooque said the Conocarpus tree, which was being planted heavily in Karachi and elsewhere in Sindh, was a massive environmental hazard, which found its own way to get to water, thus, it destroyed underground pipelines and sewerage systems.

She said originally belonging to North America, conocarpus repelled migratory birds from Karachi and reduced rainfall. It could only be planted on the seashore.

Environment Minister Mohammad Ali Malkani said forest ministry could suitably answer about the matter and his ministry had no information about it.

Nusrat Abbasi said 192 fake employees had been deployed in Town Committee Kotdiji (Khairpur).

Minister Shoro said anyone who had been appointed after 2013 must be illegal as there was a ban on employment in municipalities.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2018