KARACHI, March 16: The Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians on Wednesday expressed no confidence in Sindh Assembly Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah and 30 MPAs separately moved resolutions to this effect which must be taken up on the first working day on the expiry of seven days.Disclosing this at a news conference, leader of the opposition Nisar Khuhro told newsmen that his colleagues were constrained to bring no confidence against the Speaker under Rule-14 of the Rules of Procedure because according to him Speaker’s attitude towards the opposition was discriminatory and partisan and he had failed to conduct the house in an orderly manner.
As per the rules, the no confidence resolution against the Speaker should be taken up by the Sindh Assembly next Wednesday.
Mr Khuhro said that for two years opposition had expected the Speaker to conduct the proceeding impartially but alleged that it was not the case. He also accused the speaker of adopting discriminatory attitude towards lady MPAs on the opposition benches.
Nisar Khuhro alleged that Speaker’s attitude towards MPA Rafiq Engineer on Tuesday was derogatory. He claimed that Mr Rafiq’s only crime was that he had asked the Speaker to expunge harsh and unwanted remarks against ladies who were trying to register their point of view on Dr Shazia’s gang-rape issue.
Instead of listening to a respectable member, the Speaker issued him warning and threatened that he would get Mr Rafiq thrown out from the house if he did not act according to his whims, alleged Mr Khuhro adding that such an attitude was uncalled for and was not expected from a Speaker who had such a vast parliamentary experience.
Replying to a question, Mr Khuhro said that although MMA members had not filed any such resolution he was in contact with them. Mohajir Qaumi Movement’s interned MPA Yunus Khan was supportive of the move.
He also criticized the Speaker for not using his discretion by not acceding to Makhdoom Jameeluzzaman’s plea for allowing him to move a resolution, out of turn, recommending the Sindh government to approach Islamabad for not issuing computerized national identity cards to the immigrants from Bangladesh and other countries.
Mr Khuhro said that Makhdoom Jameeluzzaman’s resolution was a mere reiteration of the previous unanimous resolution. It had become necessary because Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had made a statement to this effect. He said that as there were about three million illegal immigrants here, former governor and interior minister Moinuddin Haider had also talked of registering such illegal immigrants and issuing them separate cards.
He claimed that Speaker was given discretionary power under Rule 211 and he could have used it in favour of the minority. If that was not the case such wordings would not have been used by the authors. Its purpose was to check the majority from bulldozing minority’s rights.
The leader alleged that Speaker Muzaffar Shah adjourned the day’s proceeding because soon afterwards Syed Qaim Ali Shah’s privilege motion was listed to come up. It pertained to corruption row between the chief minister and his former revenue minister. He said the opposition was prepared for the worst but would not give up on principles.