KARACHI, Sept 5: Speaker of the Sindh Assembly Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah on Friday took exception to the remarks by Leader of the Opposition Nisar Khuhro during a press conference where the latter had accused the Speaker of being partisan.

The matter was raised by Education Minister Irfanullah Marwat who, on a point of order, drew the attention of the chair to Mr Khuhro’s remarks that the government was exerting pressure on the Speaker on the adjournment motions on the Greater Thal Canal.

After some time, the Speaker drew the attention of Mr Khuhro to his earlier statement carried by a Sindhi-language newspaper and asked him to withdraw such insinuating remarks and refrain from doing so in future.

Mr Khuhro said that the opposition’s bid to highlight the government’s lapses through adjournment motions was being delayed and that he had the right to comment on such things.

The Speaker maintained that ever since the requisitioned session commenced, he had given considerable time to the opposition. He was of the view that by giving such statements, in fact the opposition was trying to bring him under pressure.

Mr Shah, in categorical terms, emphasized that in future, no one should attempt to make the Speaker controversial.

As leader of the opposition referred to Speaker’s powers for suspension of rules under Rule 211, Mr Shah also drew his attention to Rule 212 which pertains to residuary powers of the Speaker and says: “all matters not specifically provided for in these rules shall be regulated in such manner as the Speaker may deem fit.”

He specifically drew attention of Mr Khuhro to the clause 2 of Rule 212 which says: “any decision taken, ruling given or direction issued by the Speaker in these rules shall not be called in question in any manner or on any ground whatsoever.”

The Speaker also referred to the clause three of the rule according to which no person shall comment upon or make any statement in press or otherwise in respect of ruling given or direction issued by the Speaker.

When Mr Khuhro pointed out that in the National Assembly, there was no such restriction, the Speaker said that he was determined to conduct the proceedings according to the rules and reminded him that the House was governed by the rules adopted by the PPP government in the 1970s.

The Speaker also referred a privilege motion, moved by the opposition’s Syed Asif Ali Shah, to the House’s special committee on privileges.

According to the mover, some shops had been demolished in Taluka Sehwan without serving notice to the owners who, he said, approached him on April 9. He said that he had repeatedly tried to contact the concerned Mukhtiarkar, SHO, TPO and DPO but in vain. However, he alleged, on April 12, an FIR had been registered against him.

Law Minister Chaudhary Iftekhar presented the DPO’s report suggesting that the SHO had been transferred and the TPO suspended.

However, the mover claimed that while the TPO was not at fault, the transferred SHO had managed to get himself reinstated and the TPO got his suspension order withdrawn.

The House will now meet on Monday.