Karachi - Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Tuesday staged a token walkout from the provincial assembly against Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani’s rejection of adjournment motions from his chamber.
The other opposition parties, however, did not support the walkout. The assembly’s session started almost two hours late from the scheduled timings.
The opposition leader raised the issue of constant rejection of opposition’s agenda by the speaker and said that if opposition’s voice would not be heard, then it would stage a token walkout from the assembly proceedings on regular basis in this session.
Khawaja Izharul Hassan said the MQM legislators were not allowed to speak on issues of public interest and their adjournment motions were rejected from the speakers’ chamber.
The opposition leader, who brought two bottles of polluted water from Sukkur with him, informed the speaker that he had submitted an adjournment motion to speak on the issue of polluted water in the third largest city of the province, but it was rejected by you.
He asked the speaker to either allow him to present the adjournment motion or ask the ministers to drink water from these bottles.
The speaker replied that the motions had been rejected because they did not meet the criterion laid down in the rules of procedure of the provincial assembly.
“These rules are made by opposition members also and it is regretful when the opposition lawmakers use derogatory language against the House and its chair outside the assembly,” Durrani said.
The opposition leader intervened and said that whenever he (speaker) had to facilitate the government, he relaxes the rules, but adopts a stern attitude with the opposition.
This irked the speaker who said that he did not take any dictation from the government, and if the opposition had any problem it could sort it out with the ministers through dialogue.
Izhar reminded him that MQM did not have any contact with the government on any issue for the last eight months. “And even our demand for the formation of a business advisory committee of the House was not met,” he deplored. PPP MPA Kulsoom Chandio presented a bill pertaining to the establishment of a university in Korangi Creek Ibrahim Hyderi. It was approved unanimously by the House. Earlier speaking on the bill, she said that the university would help the students of underprivileged areas get access to education.
The minister for parliamentary affairs supported the move and said that the provincial government supported any move to establish private education institutes, especially those imparting higher education. “Although there are many higher education universities in Sindh, but it is necessary to establish more in order to fulfill the needs of increasing population,” he said.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement although did not oppose the bill, but opposition leader in Sindh Assembly opined that the bill was presented in haste and it was necessary to first forward it to the standing committee before approving it.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said that copies of the university bill had been lying on the members’ seats since 9:00 am, and if anyone was interested in reading the bill, he could read it. The bill was tabled in such haste by the PPP MPA that when MQM Parliamentary Leader Syed Sardar Ahmed asked the mover as to where the university was to be built, it took her quite some time to respond and it was only with the assistance of assembly staff that she uttered that it was to be built in Korangi Creek Ibrahim Hyderi.
The mover was also unable to respond as to why the name Ilma was suggested for the university, and later informed, again on being told by the staff, that it was an Arabic word for education.
The bill was later passed from the House unanimously.
The Speaker also rejected two private resolutions tabled by MQM lawmakers Zafar Kamali and Kamran Akhter.
Zafar Ahmed Khan Kamali, in his resolution, called for upgrading the Cardiac Ward of Mirpurkhas Hospital to an Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases.
Health Minister Sikander Mandhro rejected it on technical reasons and said that a ward could not be upgraded to an institute.
Another resolution, tabled by Kamran Akhter, calling for the establishment of a cadet college in Karachi was rejected with Minister for Education Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar, saying that work on two cadet colleges in the city was still in progress; one in Razzaqabad and the other in Gadap.
“We want to establish a cadet college in every district of Karachi and preparations in this regard were being made,” said the minister. The House was later adjourned till Friday.