KARACHI: Leaders of the parliamentary parties and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle on Monday engaged in a heart-to-heart talk and made sure that this harmonious show should end the farewell session of the Sindh Assembly on a high note.

The 14th Sindh Assembly met for the first time exactly five years ago.

According to Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, this house remained the leading legislature of the country as ranked by an independent watchdog for four consecutive years and “I am sure this year too we’ll be number one in the country”.

The 166-member strong assembly sat for close to 520 days in the past five years, which included 111 days this year, while each year it surpassed the mandatory 100 days in session.

“We are also the leading assembly in making laws in Pakistan,” said Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza.

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Leader of the Opposition Khwaja Izharul Hasan and other speakers appeared to be in perfectly reconciliatory disposition.

Murad clarifies ‘curse’ remarks; says he respects those who made Pakistan their homeland in 1947

CM Shah said he had been elected as the leader of the house 22 months ago and had dealt respectfully with everyone ever since.

He said he tried to solve the problems of the members irrespective of their party affiliation.

‘PPP believes in participatory democracy’

He said it was the Pakistan Peoples Party which believed in participatory democracy and to ensure that it encouraged the opposition benches to get their bills and other business passed from the assembly.

He said the PPP had completed two terms of government during which Nisar Khuhro, who was speaker in the first tenure, and now Siraj Durrani had showed utmost patience for the house by ensuring greater space to the opposition.

He said that was not the case when “the dictator had ruled” whose office would, like the master of a puppet show, order how to run the assembly. “This is participation of democracy; this does not mean to agree with everything. Despite the fact that we have presented a budget only for three months, yet we discuss it for 31 hours which is also a record.”

Mr Shah said he had been summoned by the prime minister for an urgent meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), which he attended on Sunday.

“During the meeting they accepted for the first time that Sindh had been [denied] its due share in water, which is promised in the 1991 Water Accord. While accepting such excesses with Sindh on their part, they however said since Punjab chief minister was not there, the issue could not be solved as yet. Still, at least they conceded what they have done with Sindh.”

He said a committee, however, had been made headed by the attorney general with one member from each province to look into the matter.

Caretaker set-up to be finalised by Thursday

Mr Shah said he would be meeting with the opposition leader after the session to finalise the name for the next caretaker chief minister.

“Both of us will be discussing it with the guidance of our leaderships. We have time to finalise it by May 31 and we hope we’ll agree on a name by that time. Else, the matter would be decided by a parliamentary committee comprising two members each from the treasury and opposition benches in another three days.

“We hope we’ll settle on an individual who will ensure that free and fair elections are held in Sindh,” said Mr Shah.

Referring to his recent speech in which he “cursed” those demanding a new province, he said although the speaker had already expunged those words, he meant to say that the people would reject those who wanted to divide the province.

He said he had great respect for those who left their homes and made Pakistan their homeland in 1947. All those, irrespective of which language they spoke, living in Sindh were Sindhis, he added.

Concluding his speech, Mr Shah repeated a famous catchphrase used by a Hollywood action hero: “Stay here, I’ll be back.”

Opposition’s performance termed ‘commendable’

Opposition leader Khwaja Izhar said despite being dominated by inexperienced members, the opposition benches’ performance was commendable. He said assemblies reflect democracy and “we’ll do everything to ensure democracy remains the only way of governance in the country”.

He rebuffed reports in the media claiming that he had met several times with the chief minister for finalising the interim government.

“Today,” he asserted, “we are meeting for the first time. This is going to be the first formal meeting to settle the issue”.

He added that the two leaders would discuss to ensure that a moderate individual should take responsibility of ensuring free and fair elections.

He said the chief minister had spoken to him for holding a meeting on Sunday which he agreed to.

Ex-chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said the PPP government had rendered historic performance in the past five years, though, a lot of work was yet to be done.

Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro said politicians should combat against history, which had often supported dictators. “Nothing but democracy should be our future.”

Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s parliamentary party leader Syed Sardar Ahmed said the PPP and all other parties who got a chance to form government should ensure that participatory governance be put in practice by encouraging opposition benches’ input in policies.

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional’s Mehtab Rashdi said Sindh Assembly was more liberal and progressive among all the legislatures in the country.

Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza said holding a key post in a male-dominated society was a big challenge for her, but she tried to perform in the past 10 years.

Speaker Durrani said he was the third member of his family who had been elected on speaker or deputy speaker’s posts. He said he had tried his level best to ensure balance in the house and completed five years with the cooperation of both side of the aisle.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Khurram Sher Zaman and PML-N’s Shafi Mohammad Jamote also spoke.

Later, more than 100 members sat on the stairs of the assembly building to get a farewell photograph. Mr Durrani was flanked by the chief minister and the opposition leader.

Former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim came to the house after a prolonged absence, signed the attendance register and left after sitting for a while.

The speaker and his deputy also distributed certificates to the members.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2018