KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Thursday expressed in unison, albeit without the voice of Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmakers, opposition to any move to divide or alter the boundaries of the province by reiterating its firm belief in the integrity and indivisibility of Sindh.

The house adopted two resolutions on the same subject tabled by the treasury and the opposition apparently in response to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s demand for creation of more administrative units in the province.

The MQM lawmakers were not present in the house when the resolutions were taken up as they did not attend the session in protest against the arrest of their party workers during a raid on the party office the previous night.

The PPP resolution, adopted amid slogans of “Mar wesoon, mar wesoon, par Sindh na desoon” after a brief commotion followed by walkout by opposition lawmakers, cited Article 2 of the Constitution which says the ‘territories of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan shall comprise four provinces’.

Sindh is the second largest province of the country with a distinct culture, civilisation, language and history which can be traced back to 5,000 years. “Keeping in view its glorious past and historical significance this assembly unanimously resolves that Sindh has remained as one entity for centuries and shall remain the same with its existing boundaries intact forever,” read the resolution.

Later, when opposition legislators made a comeback after recording a token protest over refusal of the chair to allow them to table their resolution first, the Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Shahryar Khan Mahar read out their resolution on the same subject.

It said: “The assembly resolves that we believe in the integrity of the province of Sindh and reiterate our point of view that the boundaries of the province should stay intact as they are. The question of dividing the province in more smaller administrative units does not arise as we already have smaller administrative units in the form of talukas, towns, districts and divisions.”

Earlier, the house witnessed uproar and exchange of harsh words between treasury and opposition lawmakers when Deputy Speaker Syeda Shehla Raza ignored the opposition legislator Nusrat Sehar Abbasi and Leader of the Opposition Mr Mahar’s request to read their resolution first and, instead, allowed Sohail Akbar Siyal of the PPP to table their joint resolution.

Mr Siyal was followed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Sikander Mandhro and other PPP MPAs who individually and jointly read out the resolution.

Leader of the Opposition Mr Mahar staged the walkout and spoke to journalists at the steps of the old assembly building. He accused the PPP Sindh chapter of triggering the issue of the province and remarked “the enemies of Sindh are sitting in the assembly with us”.

He said the MQM legislators did not turn up because of their protest against arrests of party workers but it would have been better if they had attended the session to record their protest in the house.

When the opposition members returned the chair allowed Mr Mahar to table their resolution.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2014