KARACHI: After a threadbare discussion and exchange of arguments and counter-arguments by the treasury and opposition benches, the Sindh Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a bill to allow the provincial government to convert the status of two amenity plots in Karachi’s Surjani Town and Numaish areas to utilise them for its mass transit projects.

Originally, Law Minister Zia Lanjar tabled the Karachi Development Authority (Sindh Amendment) Bill, 2018 before the house for introduction and consideration. The bill aimed at amending the Karachi Development Authority Order, 1975.

It sparked a debate when the opposition benches said converting amenity plots through a generic legislation could open floodgates of conversion of amenity plots in the city, many of which had already been illegally converted for residential and commercial purposes in the past and the matter attracted the Sindh High Court to take cognizance of it.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s parliamentary party leader Syed Sardar Ahmed said that the amendment was gravely generic, which could expose all the amenity plots to the whims of the government of the day.

Some MPAs say they are receiving death threats from banned outfits

“Take this issue seriously,” said Mr Ahmed. “Or, we’ll see every amenity plot in Karachi housing commercial structures.”

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Samar Ali Khan also said the bill was too generic.

Originally, a clause in the bill says: “[The] government may, if it considers that the conversion or utilisation of amenity plot is of public importance and recording the reasons thereof in writing, allow the conversion or utilisation of such amenity plot.”

Another clause reads: “The amenity plots can be converted to other public purposes only for [the] government-sponsored Mass Transit Projects subject to the approval of the government [cabinet].”

Minister Lanjar insisted that the bill had carried no hidden agenda and would not benefit individuals or groups.

MQM’s Faisal Subzwari said the government should declare which plots it actually wanted to convert for the mass transit project.

Transport Minister Nasir Shah said an elaborate mass transit system was around the corner and there were certain areas where the government had no space available for the projects. He said the bill related to government-funded transport only involving no commercial activity whatsoever.

Opposition Leader Khwaja Izharul Hasan said that the issue was certainly specific and the house should be told about it.

As Mr Lanjar failed to convince the opposition, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah rose and said that the house had no further time because of the coming budget session. The bill was of huge importance with no mala fide content and merited being passed immediately, he added.

Mr Shah offered the house to suggest and include certain amendments.

Later, Samar Ali Khan and Mohammad Hussain of the joint opposition held talks with Minister Lanjar and after a consensus the bill was amended by keeping conversion of specific plots for the mass transit purpose.

In the amended bill, the government was allowed to convert two amenity plots — ST Plot-1 in Sector 4, Surjani and KDA Ground, Numaish, for the project.

Bill to revise agri-income tax

In supplementary agenda, Mr Lanjar presented the Sindh Land Tax and Agricultural Income Tax Ordinance, 2000 (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

It omitted the land tax entirely or substituted it with advance agricultural tax in various clauses and sub-clauses.

It changed the rates of tax on total agricultural income by imposing no agricultural tax where the total income does not exceed Rs1.2 million. Earlier, the least tax was five per cent of the income where the total income does not exceed Rs1m.

CM Shah said his government would also amend the rules to ensure that owners having certain acreage should file tax returns.

PTI’s Samar Khan said collection of taxes had been the major issue. MQM’s Sardar Ahmed and Faisal Subzwari also supported the bill, which was passed into law unanimously.

The Sindh Development and Maintenance of Infrastructure Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was also passed unanimously, while the third quarterly budget report till March 31 was laid in the house.

Lawmakers blame banned LJ for sending death threats

A number of lawmakers from the opposition benches informed the house that they were getting death threats from some banned militant outfits in case they did not pay them extortion.

MQM’s Sabir Qaimkhani from Hyderabad said certain banned groups were demanding extortion from him and other lawmakers.

MQM’s Kamran Akhtar said he had received threat. He said banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi was sending him threats.

Ameer Sheerazi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz from Thatta also blamed the same group for threatening him and demanding extortion money.

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani asked the legislators to submit details about the threats to the law minister.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2018