KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Tuesday witnessed ruckus as lawmakers belonging to the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf boycotted the proceeding after holding a demonstration to show ‘solidarity’ with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial.

Deputy Speaker Rehana Leghari adjourned the session for 10 minutes when the PTI members refused to go back to their seats and kept on chanting slogans Chief Justice Qadam Barhao, Hum Tumhare Sath Hain (Step forward Chief Justice, we are with you) and Aain Bachao Mulk Bachao (Save constitution, save the country).

The pro-CJP demonstration in the assembly led to a strong reaction by the treasury members who held the PTI responsible for spreading anarchy in the country.

The situation took an unpleasant turn when the PTI lawmakers, carrying placards inscribed with different slogans, gathered in front of the speaker’s rostrum chanting slogans in favour of the CJP with MPA Rabistan Khan filming the demonstration on his cell phone immediately after Question Hour.

The chair repeatedly asked the PTI members to go back to their seats, but to no avail. “It has been five years since they [PTI members] became MPAs but they have not learnt anything relating to rules and procedures of the assembly,” she snapped.

A visibly irked deputy speaker also warned Rabistan Khan of the PTI from making footage in the assembly. “Use of mobile phone is not allowed on the floor,” she told the PTI lawmaker.

She then put off the proceedings for 10 minutes and left the house. However, she returned to take the chair after three minutes as by that time the demonstrating PTI workers had boycotted the proceedings and did not come back.

Information Minister Sharjeel Memon came down heavily on the PTI members for holding demonstration in favour of the CJP.

“What steps do you want from the chief justice,” he asked and added that the opposition party wanted the CJP to do what former CJP Saqib Nisar had done.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2023