KARACHI: With major opposition parties in the Sindh Assembly abstaining from taking part in the upcoming elections for the Public Accounts Committee and standing committees of the house, members representing the treasury and two minor opposition groups filed their nomination papers on Monday.

There are 34 house committees in addition to the contentious PAC on which 168 members of the Sindh Assembly are to elect their members.

The treasury benches, however, said they would remain “accommodative” to leave space for the boycotting opposition parties as election for 13 committees would be held later.

Chief Minister’s Adviser on Information and Law Murtaza Wahab told the media on the assembly’s premises that initially election for 21 committees would be held and members in the remaining committees would be elected later.

Opposition adamant on PAC chairmanship

Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi along with leaders of parliamentary parties of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Grand Democratic Alliance explicitly said their demand that the PAC chairmanship be given to the opposition leader would not be withdrawn.

“Until that time we will not be taking part in the elections for the committees,” said Mr Naqvi.

He said they were not power-hungry, but demanding the PAC for the opposition was to keep a vigilant eye on the performance of the government.

MQM-P’s parliamentary party leader Kunwar Naveed Jameel said the government had held the provincial assembly “hostage” where it was enjoying its rule and was acting as per its whims.

GDA’s Husnain Mirza claimed that the government was trying to create a division within the opposition’s ranks; however those who were ruling Sindh would not succeed.

PTI’s Haleem Adil Shaikh alleged the provincial government was embezzling the funds meant for the betterment of the people of Sindh for its own benefit.

Officials at the Sindh Assembly said they had received nomination forms from the members of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, and three members of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan and the sole member of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Monday.

Those members have submitted forms for 21 out of 34 committees of the house and the PAC.

Sources in the treasury benches said Ghulam Qadir Chandio could lead the PAC for the current term of the government.

Barrister Wahab said election for the 21 standing committees would be held as per schedule on Wednesday (tomorrow). However, vote for the remaining committees would be held later.

Earlier, Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani presided over a meeting of the Sindh Assembly’s business advisory committee, but none of the opposition’s parliamentary leaders and the opposition leader showed up.

Khursheed Shah calls on Durrani

Meanwhile, PPP leaders Khursheed Ahmed Shah and Nafisa Shah called on Speaker Durrani.

Later, speaking to the media separately, they expressed their disappointment over the manner in which the speaker of an assembly, which had passed the resolution for creation of Pakistan, was being treated.

Khursheed Shah said the federal government was victimising opposition.

Nafisa Shah said Mr Durrani had been put in a cell and was being treated worse than those accused of murder.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2019