KARACHI: Lawmakers belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in the Sindh Assembly on Monday took serious notice of the governor’s ‘politicking’ as he visited Muttahida Qaumi Movement office to muster the party’s support for the Pakistan Muslim League-nominee for the Prime Minister’s office.

After the completion of the order of the day when Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani allowed the legislators to take up their point of order, PPP legislator Dr Sohrab Sarki getting the floor reacted sharply to the governor’s meeting with MQM leaders to “beg votes” for the PML-N nominee.

Terming it a grave violation of the Constitution, Dr Sarki said the governor, being representative of the federation, ought to pay attention to serving the people of the province, but he was doing politics. He appealed to the chief justice to take its suo motu notice.

PTI parliamentary party leader Samar Ali Khan regretted that contrary to the democratic norms of not aligning himself with any political party, the governor’s role had been politicised. Instead of serving the federation, he was looking after the interests of a political party, specifically of a political family, said Mr Khan.

Bill raises disabled persons’ employment quota to 5pc

Through his point of order, Dr Zafar Kamali of the MQM drew the attention of the house towards the Mirpurkhas Board of Intermediate Education, where a list of over 100 lower-grade employees had been prepared for termination of service, while earlier more than 50 employees had been demoted.

He said if this attitude of making people unemployed was not stopped immediately, they might be compelled to commit self-immolation. Dr Kamali declared before the house to stop making people unemployed otherwise he himself would commit self-immolation in front of the assembly.

Reacting to PTI chief Imran Khan’s allegation of corruption against former president Asif Zardari, PPP lawmaker Mumtaz Jakhrani said Mr Zardari had already faced accountability and was acquitted by courts. “Now it’s the turn of Imran Khan to face accountability and soon his cases will be decided under Articles 62 and 63,” he added.

The assembly session, which was summoned on July 24, was prorogued on Monday after the points of order when Speaker Durrani read out the order of Governor Mohammad Zubair to adjourn the session sine die.

Bill passed

Earlier, the assembly passed the Sindh Differently-Abled Persons (Employment, Rehabilitation and Welfare) (Amendment) Bill, 2017. Tabled by Senior Minister Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, the bill aimed at the enhancement of existing two per cent disabled quota to five per cent as per the Sindh cabinet’s decision.

In response to the call-attention notice of MQM lawmaker Saifuddin Khalid, Sindh Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro said the major leakage of 48-inch dia pipe at the fire station near Orangi Town drain was being repaired and soon the complaint would be redressed.

On the call-attention notice of Ghazala Sial, which called for providing government vehicle to the district chairman of Zakat and Ushr committee of Khairpur Mirs, Sindh Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro said the chairman of the committees were appointed on a volunteer basis to serve the less privileged and deserving families. For this reason, he added, no vehicle could be provided to anyone from Zakat.

In reply to the call-attention notice of PML-F lawmaker Saeed Khan Nizamani, Dr Mandhro said the Sanghar Civil Hospital was already upgraded, but there was a shortage of doctors in every hospital of Sindh. As the official ban on the hiring of doctors had recently been lifted, vacancies of doctors in hospitals would be filled soon, the minister said.

Dispelling the impression about the shortage of medicine, he said he had got his phone number displayed in every hospital for complaints against any doctor who advised patients to purchase medicine.

PML-F legislator Waryam Faqir drew the attention of the house towards the apprehension of floods during the current monsoon season in Sanghar as drains in the district had not been desilted. In his response, Senior Minister Khuhro said the Makhi drain in Sanghar was desilted last year and a major pumping station was made operational to drain water.

In response to the call-attention notice of Kamran Akhtar about acute shortage of drinking water in Baldia Town, the local government minister said it was not admissible as he had already given reply to this in the last session. Yet for the information of the house, he said that water supply from Hub Dam was being increased to 100mgd after recent rains. He expressed the hope that the situation would improve. Efforts were being made to ensure that water supply at the tail end could be made possible from other sources as well, he said.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2017