KARACHI, June 20: The combined opposition in Sindh assembly on Friday walked out of the general debate on the provincial budget 2003-2004, accusing the speaker of partisan attitude while the treasury benches shot down various privilege motions.

Before leaving the House, the opposition members chanted slogans against the LFO and Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s S. M. Iqbal Qadri initiated the debate by praising the government for presenting a tax-free budget. He appreciated the proposed relief in property tax. He claimed that 80 per cent of the allocations for health sector was pilferaged by its staff.

He was appreciative of the allocation for education and said if the people and their representatives were educated, they would be able to find solutions to their problems. Mr Qadri called for more funds for development work in Orangi.

He castigated the opposition for its attitude despite its members being educated.

When the speaker gave the floor to Manzoor Hussain Shah, it was time for prayers and proceeding had to be adjourned till Saturday morning.

Earlier — as soon as the proceedings commenced, more than an hour late — Education Minister Irfanullah Marwat, on a point of order, moved a motion seeking suspension of the question hour for general debate on the budget.

When the speaker asked Nisar Khuhro, leader of the opposition, whether he was in favour of the motion, he responded with allegation that the treasury benches did not realize their responsibility in Thursday’s session. He pointed out that it was actually their responsibility to ensure commencement of a debate. Instead, he added, they moved various uncalled for resolutions and created a rumpus.

“Why didn’t they realize its importance yesterday when opposition’s voice was muffled and our privilege was not recognized?” he questioned.

Finance Minister Syed Sardar Ahmed replied that it was not a rumpus on Thursday, rather it was on the 16th.

When the motion was put to vote, it was carried by 62 against 44 and the question hour was suspended.

Rising on a point of order, Syed Qaim Ali Shah moved a privilege motion contesting the contentions of the minister who had moved a resolution to condemn the opposition members for their rushing towards the finance minister, attacking him physically and throwing budget documents at him.

Mr Shah was critical of the unprecedented decision to allow the treasury members to malign the entire opposition.

He maintained that as a member of the opposition, he neither attacked the minister nor threw any budget document at him. He recalled that the finance minister, in his statment made on the floor of the House on June 19, had clearly stated that ‘some members’ of the opposition were involved in the incident. While he had not identified anyone, the resolution did not differentiate and included all members of the opposition, Mr Shah contended.

His contention was that the procedure adopted was totally in violation of the relevant rules of procedure of the assembly.

Mr Shah claimed that the treasury benches took undue advantage during the pandemonium which was heard by none of the opposition members and hardly by the speaker. The speaker asked Mr Shah to first move to seek permission for suspension of rules. When he did so, the law minister opposed it on the ground that during the budget session, no such motion could be moved.

However, Mr Shah insisted that since proceedings of the house could not be challenged in any court of law, therefore, one had to be careful in casting aspersions. He claimed that the speaker had already set the precedence of relaxing the rules the other day.

Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah maintained that only the government resolutions were permissible in the budget session and that he did not allow any private member’s resolution.

Qaim Ali Shah was of the view that under the Rule 211, the speaker had the authority to relax the rules. But the speaker, going by the book, was insistent on putting it before the house, perhaps knowing well that owing to numerical superiority of the treasury benches, it would be shot down at the initial stage.

The PPP leader insisted on moving his motion because he felt that the unprecedented condemnation of the opposition would not be well received by the people of Sindh. But when the speaker put the matter before the house, 75 members voted against it.

As soon as it was over, Nisar Khuhro and other opposition members moved identical motions. Mr Khuhro also advanced similar arguments. The intention was very clear. A brief uproar ensued when the speaker asked the co-movers to also write their name on the motion. But the opposition members were reluctant to follow his instructions.

Nisar Khuhro, Qaim Ali Shah and others wanted the speaker to let all the movers speak. However, the speaker said it would be a waste of assembly’s time as the main thrust of the motion was identical.

The house rejected opposition’s plea for relaxation of rules by 85 votes against 53.

After that, the speaker ordered discussion on budget and asked Nisar Khuhro to lead the discussion. But Mr Khuhro said he would not do so without a new NFC and in protest against the opposition members’ insult.

By the time the speaker got the discussion initiated, the purpose of suspending the question hour was defeated.