KARACHI, March 20: Members of the Sindh Assembly on Saturday unanimously termed the assassination of PPP lawmaker Abdullah Murad as tragic and a great loss.
Paying tribute to the slain MPA for his commitment and for raising his voice for the rights of Sindh, they stressed the need for arresting his killers and giving them exemplary punishment.
On Saturday, which was the first day of general discussion on identical adjournment motions whose notices had been given by nine MPAs including leader of the opposition Nisar Ahmad Khuhro. Twelve members, six from each side, had expressed their views when Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah called it a day at 1pm. The House would meet again on Monday at 10am to continue the discussion.
The House remained disciplined during the discussion and Mr Muhammad Hussain conducted the House in an impartial manner during the absence of the speaker for a while.
Two members from the PPP side, Rafique advocate and Sassi Palejo, made emotional speeches while from the treasury side Mustafa Kamal and Shabbir Chandio responded to the accusations.
The speakers from the opposition benches placed emphasis on registration of an FIR by heirs of Abdullah Murad while members from the treasury benches urged the opposition not to politicize the murder, and cooperate with the government to arrest the killers.
Makhdoom Jamil-uz-Zaman said that if the government had good intentions, it should call the heirs of Abdullah Murad and helped them register the FIR against the killers, leaving the court to determine who were innocent people and who were culprits.
He expressed his pessimism about the arrest of the killers of Abdullah Murad. He added that the killers of Mir Murtaza Bhutto had not yet been arrested.
Mr Rafique Advocate said that if the government was serious about running the affairs of the province and maintaining peace and tranquillity, the killers of Abdullah Murad be exposed. He added that Abdullah Murad was gunned down for raising the voice of the oppressed people. He said Abdullah Murad had also spoken about the rights of the heirs of innocent girls Hajra and Sassi who were brutally murdered. In Karachi, Raziq Khan, Khalid bin Waleed and Zohair Akram Nadeem had been killed but their murderers had not yet been nabbed, he said, adding that this situation could not be allowed to go on.
Naila Inam said the murder of Abdullah Murad was a national tragedy and deserved condemnation. She spoke about the measures taken by the government to arrest the murderers, including the inquiry by a judge of the Sindh High Court.
Sajid Jokhio said despite passing of 14 days the FIR of Abdullah Murad's heirs had not yet been registered.
Nasreen Chandio said investigation committees had never delivered. She added that such committees had failed to find the killers of the country's first prime minister.
Sultan Khawar said Abdullah Murad's assassination was the murder of democracy and if his killers were not given exemplary punishment, some other MPA could be the next victim.
Poonjomal said that instead of giving the murder ethnic colour, efforts should be made to arrest the real culprits.
Advising the opposition not to give political colour to the killing, Ehsan Jatoi said it was the right of the heirs of Abdullah Murad that their FIR be registered.
Mustafa Kamal said the murder of Abdullah Murad was tragic but the way his murder was exploited for killing and plundering had no example in any civilized society.
Sassi Palejo said that in other countries army intervened because of political murders, adding that in Pakistan political murders were the outcome of army intervention.
Shabbir Qaimkhani said demanding resignation from the government because of a political murder was not justified as political murders had also taken place during the PPP government. He wondered why the PPP government had not resigned when the brother of the sitting prime minister had been killed.