HYDERABAD, Nov 20: The Pakistan People’s Party-backed Awam Dost Panel members on Thursday held session of Tando Allahyar district council on their own after convenor prorogued it over lack of quorum on Wednesday.

Convenor Faizul Hassan alias Sabir Kaimkhani described the council’s proceedings as illegal. He told Dawn from Tando Allahyar that he had to prorogue the session sine die due to lack of quorum and claimed that out of 25 members, 13 were required to be present to fulfil requirement of 51 per cent attendance but there were only 10 members on Wednesday. “Proceedings of the house are illegal,” he declared.

The council comprised 28 members but currently it comprised 25 members after resignation by one member and litigation over tabling of no-confidence motion against two others.

The ‘illegal’ session was presided over amid slogans of Jeay Bhutto by Mir Aslam Talpur whose name was on the panel of presiding officers. ADP members hung portrait of late Benazir Bhutto in place of district council members’ name plaque.

On Thursday, 12 members turned up in the council hall but the convenor did not preside over the session and Mr Talpur again chaired the house, which discussed issues of traffic, Sabzi Mandi and bus terminal.

According to Asif Khwaja, quorum was complete because only one member was not in attendance. Her signature though was on requisition paper for the session, he said.

He accused Tando Allahyar district nazim of keeping members in her private jail at her residence in Hyderabad and said that the council session had not been held for past eight months when it had passed budgetary estimates in June for the year 2008-09.

District Nazim Dr Rahila Magsi termed the charge baseless. “It’s in fact their defeat that they are failing to meet the quorum. How ridiculous is the charge? Entire police and government machinery is at the disposal of my opponents and I am myself booked in false cases along with my family members. How can I maintain a private jail,” she said.

Former Sindh revenue minister Dr Irfan Gul Magsi termed the incident a defeat of local PPP leadership who he said had become so desperate after failing to muster enough votes to table a no-confidence motion against district nazim.

STOLEN: Six pistols were stolen from the record room of a civil judge in civil courts building on Wednesday night. No case has been lodged so far.