• Lanjar says law on students’ union already being implemented
• PA asks Centre to release funds for Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway

KARACHI: The numeric majority of the Pakistan Peoples Party prevailed during the Sindh Assembly session on Tuesday as the treasury shot down an opposition resolution calling for holding elections of students’ unions.

The resolution, tabled by lone Jamaat-i-Islami member Muhammad Farooq, pertained to the demand of immediate holding of elections of students’ unions in educational institutions and implementation of the Sindh Students’ Union Restoration Act.

The JI member resolution said that the house had in 2022 passed the Sindh Students’ Union Restoration Bill 2019, according to which all educational institutions were required to formulate rules and regulations within two months to hold students’ unions elections every year.

It said that it was highly deplorable to deprive students of their right to make unions under Article 17 of the Constitution despite the lapse of two and half years. “This house demands immediate holding of students’ unions election accepting the democratic rights of the students,” it concluded.

However, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar opposed the resolution, saying that the enacted law was already being implemented.

He said that the issue of students’ union was part of PPP manifesto and efforts were already on to revive the bodies in academic institutions.

The house rejected the opposition member’s resolution with a majority vote.

Three other resolutions of the opposition members could not be taken up due to a paucity of the time.

The resolutions were filed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan member Rehan Akram, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed Sunni Ittehad Council’s Muhammad Shabbir and MQM-P’s Shariq Jamal.

Rare unity over Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway

The house, however, unanimously adopted a resolution tabled by Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Heer Soho for early completion of the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway.

The house expressed grave concern on the poor condition of the motorways and highways in the province and lethargic attitude of the National Highway Authority in completing the projects.

The assembly demanded the federal government to immediately release funds for the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway.

Speaking on her resolution, Ms Soho said that injustices were being constantly meted out to the province which generated maximum revenue for the country.

She said that the lethargy on the part of the federal government in completion the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway was creating a misconception among those travelling to the province as if the provincial government was not carrying out uplift projects in Sindh.

The PPP lawmaker said that inordinate delay in completion of highways in Sindh was leading to disappointment and resentment among people of the province.

She referred to a letter written by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to the federal government and said that the federal government had earmarked only six out of 105 federal schemes for Sindh, while 33 schemes each were for Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Ms Soho said that the issue of incomplete motorways in the province was very serious and the NHA top official should be summoned by the assembly to explain the reasons behind delay in completion of the projects.

She also suggested that a house committee was formed to grill the NHA officials in this regard.

Supporting the resolution, Mr Lanjar said that the motorways built in the province were not up to the mark. He said that the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway was the need of the hour and added that the resolution must be adopted so that the federation knew what was happening with the province.

Criticising the Centre for “ignoring” Sindh in federally-funded development projects, PPP member Nisar Khuhro said that now the comparison of provinces in the development projects was being done due to the lethargy of the federal government.

He asked as to why the federal government did not include M-9 Motorway in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Deputy Speaker Naveed Anthony adjourned the house to Friday immediately after the adoption of Ms Soho’s resolution.

Published in Dawn, January 22th, 2025