KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly witnessed pandemonium on Tuesday — which is a private members’ day — when opposition lawmakers protested against the attitude of the chair for not allowing them to discuss an issue pertaining to sugar cane growers before completing the formal business of the day.

Enraged opposition legislators, who wanted to take up non-fixing of sugar cane support price by the government and a delay in start of the crushing season by millers, refused to take their seats and started raising slogans.

The government assurance to solve the matter soon failed to pacify the situation. Dr Sohrab Sarki, member of the panel of chairmen, who called the house in order asked the members to refrain from dictating him what to do.

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional’s Nand Kumar Goklani and other opposition lawmakers said the growers in Sindh had been facing hardship due to delay in the start of crushing season by sugar mills and fixing of sugar cane prices. “We want to talk on the issue of abadgars, or else we would stage a walkout.”

Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro urged the protesting lawmakers to let the business proceed and the issue could be taken up later. However, the opposition did not pay any heed to his assurance and continued its protest.

Support price of sugar cane not yet notified; millers refuse to start crushing season

During the disturbance, Deputy Speaker Syeda Shehla Raza took the chair of the speaker and gave assurance that she would allow them to speak on the issue of growers after Question Hour.

She asked Nusrat Sahar Abbasi of the PML-F to take up her question, warning her “if you don’t take up the question, I would proceed ahead”.

Sanity prevailed in the house after her assurance and the opposition took their seats.

During Question Hour, Ms Raza and Ms Abbasi exchanged words, with the deputy speaker calling the latter “beta [child]” and Ms Abbasi addressing her as “ammi jan [dear mother]”.

Later, Heer Soho of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement stood up on a point of order and said that the price of sugar cane had not been fixed and the crushing season head not been started.

She said this was causing hardships to the abadgars. She said last year the prices were fixed by the government after an inordinate delay and the crushing season began late. She said if an appropriate reply was not given, the opposition would continue its protest.

When the chair asked Senior Minister Khuhro to reply, he said that Agriculture Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal was present in the house and he would make a statement in that regard.

Before the minister could respond to the point of order, other lawmakers from opposition wanted to speak on the issue but the deputy speaker did not allow them, saying one member was enough to raise a point of order on the issue and there was no need to allow all legislators to speak on the same issue.

Agriculture Minister Siyal said that the issue came up last year also and the government had solved it. He assured the house that the government was in touch with growers as well as mills’ owners and soon the board would meet and the matters would be solved.

During the discussion, the deputy speaker gave her ruling of exercising authority of the speaker of adjourning the session if there would be no order in the house. She could also call the sergeant-at-arms for maintaining order in the house.

Disabled to get govt jobs soon: CM

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday announced that special persons would soon be provided employment in the province on a priority basis in accordance with the quota reserved for them.

He said that the job quota had already been increased to five per cent from 2pc.

The CM was making a policy statement on the floor of the house soon after meeting a four-member delegation of special persons whom he assured that his government would solve their problem.

Referring to the protest demonstration of the special persons outside the Sindh Assembly and subsequent police action against them on Monday, he said he was on a visit to the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai where he was informed about their protest. “Today I had a meeting with them and appointed a member of the assembly as a focal person to solve their problems.”

As it was not possible for disabled persons to separately apply for jobs in every government department, he said he was issuing a notification that all disabled persons should submit their application at one specified place from where their applications would be forwarded to the departments concerned.

Two resolutions unanimously adopted

The assembly also adopted two private resolutions unanimously after a brief discussion.

One of the resolutions tabled by PML-F’s Nusrat Abbasi pertained to a clash between two students’ groups in Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, where some students were on hunger strike following their rustication.

In the resolution, the assembly had recommended to the Sindh government to approach the federal government in order to stop expulsion of the students from the varsity so that their education should not be discontinued.

The second resolution was tabled by MQM’s Ra’ana Ansar through which she recommended to the Sindh government to approach the federal government to stop overcharging in the head of electricity bills in the province, particularly in Hyderabad.

Before the house was adjourned at 2.40pm to meet again on Wednesday, PPP’s Ghazala Sial was allowed to table two private bills for setting up the Pakistan University, Karachi Bill 2017 and the University of Arts and Culture, Jamshoro Bill 2017.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2017