KARACHI - Sindh Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted clubbed resolutions to pay tribute to women and reaffirmed to end all kinds of violence and discrimination against them on the eve of International Women’s Day.
Minister for Women Development Syeda Shehla Raza, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Rana Ansar and Muhammad Hussain Khan and Adeeba Hassan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf moved identical resolutions that were clubbed by the chair.
The resolution moved by Shehla read that, “On the eve of International Women’s Day, this house reaffirms the commitment to end all kinds of discrimination and violence against women and pursue policies that guarantee fundamental human rights for women”.
The Assembly also vowed to provide equal opportunities of jobs education, financial freedom, independence, security and respect.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that women could raise their voice in effective manner only if they were financially strong. She said that the Sindh government had started Women Economic Empowerment at main cities, urging the need to ex-pand the same to entire parts of the province.
Rana Ansar of MQM-P paid tribute to mothers, sisters, daughters and wives of the party’s missing workers. Muhammad Hussain Khan said that Islam gave every right to women as men are made their protectors. He said that such days should be observed at the Assembly with special arrangements.
Adeeba Hassan was of the view that special session of the Assembly should be held on the eve of International Women’s Day in which only women-related agenda be taken up. Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakista’s Sarwat Fatima said Sindh Assembly had passed numerous bills to ensure erad-ication of violence against women but the same were not implemented.
The women related laws should be implemented in true letter and spirit, she said.
Those who also spoke included PPP’s Muhammad Ismail Rahu, Kulsoom Chandio, Sadia Javed, Syeda Marvi Faseeh, Heer Soho, Ghazala Sial, Tanzeela Umme Habiba and Imdad Pitafi and MQM-P’s Khawaja Izharul Hasaan and Rabia Khatoon.
Speaker warns PTI
members of strict action
Separately, Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani warned PTI members of approaching Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against their “bad” attitude. “The way (they) PTI members behave in the Assembly, it is not one,” Durrani said while reacting to PTI lawmakers who were protesting against allotment of treasury seat to their disgruntled MPA.
The chaos began when Khurram Sher Zaman was allowed by the Speaker to ask a supplementary query during Question Hour who instead asked as to why Muhammad Aslam Abro of PTI was sitting on treasury bench. “You can ask only a pertaining sup-plementary question and it is my discretion to allot seat to anyone,” the Speaker told.
The PTI members, who pasted Lota’s picture on Abro’s seat at opposition side, gathered in front of the Speaker’s dice and start-ed protesting.
Durrani said that the PTI lawmakers had planned to disturb the house, asking Khawaja Izharul Hassan of MQM-P to read out Rule 8 of the rules and procedures of provincial assmebly of Sindh.
“No doubt, as per rules, the Speaker has discretion to allot seat to anyone but those who change the party should resign first,” Izharul Hassan replied. Sherzaman tore apart copies of agenda and on the continuous hullabaloo, the Speaker adjourned the house for 10 minutes.
When the proceedings resumed, Durrani said that he and his Secretary were threatened for dire consequences by the protesting members. “I will not tolerate this, don’t force me to take strict action,” he warned.
