KARACHI: The private members’ day in the Sindh Assembly was on Tuesday marred for the umpteenth time due to the lack of interest and absence of lawmakers belonging to both sides of the aisle as the session was adjourned without any legislative business.

The house wore a deserted look with only three out of 18 ministers and over a dozen members from the treasury and opposition benches present in the 168-member house.

Under the rules, Tuesdays are the private members’ days during the assembly session, mainly for the opposition members who can present their private bills and resolutions in the house.

However, it was yet another private members’ day with some business, including presentation of private members’ bills and their resolutions.

“Today is the private members’ day, yet they are not present in the house,” Ghanwer Ali Khan Isran, who chaired the brief session, remarked before adjourning the session to Wednesday.

Due to the lack of quorum, Question Hour related to industries and commerce ministry, private resolutions, private bills and amendments to the rules was not held.

Many lawmakers presented their resolutions but none of them were taken up.

A resolution of Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) Mufti Muhammad Qasim Fakhri demanded the Sindh government to declare a public holiday in the province every year on the first Muharram on the occasion of the martyrdom day of Hazrat Umar (RA).

In another resolution, TLP’s Sarwat Fatima asked the provincial government to refrain from making it ‘compulsory’ for school students to take music classes. “The Sindh government has advertised for the recruitment of music teachers in schools. Compulsory teaching of music to children in schools is against religious, cultural and moral values,” the resolution read.

Pakistan Peoples Party’s Ghazala Sial in her resolution demanded reduction in gas loadshedding across the province. She maintained that the people were suffering due to suspension of gas.

Nand Kumar Goklani of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) through a resolution demanded that the Afghan immigrants should be sent back to their country.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2023