KARACHI-As many as 20 lawmakers from both sides of the aisle delivered farewell speeches in the Sindh Assembly on Thursday which was likely to be dissolved on Friday (today) after Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah would send a summary to the Sindh Governor Muhammad Kamran Tessori to do so.
The first session of the assembly was held on 13th August 2018 with new elected members taking oath following general elections. As per the record the Assembly would complete its constitutional five-year term on August 12 but it would be dissolved a day before it in order to gain one more month for holding of elections “Governor on the advice of CM may sign the summary till midnight today (Friday),” sources privy to the development told ‘The Nation.’
Most of the members greeted each other, Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, Deputy Speaker Rehana Laghari while some of the opposition lawmakers also took a jibe at the Pakistan Peoples Party for its ‘failure’ in serving the people during the past five years. At outset of Thursday’s sitting, Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani said that on the day of last sitting, the Assembly members would be having a photo session. In the farewell speech, Rashid Khilji of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan said that the provincial assembly was unable to play its role for resolving the public issues in the tenure. He said that during five years, he and his party’s other members tried to highlight the problems of their respective constituencies but the assembly did not play its role which it should had played.
Pakistan Peoples Party’s Sharmila Saheba Faroqui said that her party always supported the women as Deputy Speaker Rehana Laghari, and other female members were given opportunities. She also criticized Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Khawaja Asif over his ‘derogatory’ remarks against women in the National Assembly and demanded that this culture should be stopped.
The PPP lawmaker also expressed dissatisfaction with a chance to private members for moving their bills. “During the last tenure (2013 to 2018), we (Sindh Assembly) had passed many private bills but this time around only few private members bill were tabled,” she added. Mangla Sharma of the MQM-P thanked her party leadership for keeping her at the top in the priority list for women reserved seats. She also suggested an amendment in the 1973 constitution so that any non-muslim could also be elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
In her another suggestion, Mangla said that the new lawmakers who came to the assembly for the very first time did not know about rules and procedures, adding that training sessions might be held for them. Sachanand Lakhwani Sachal, the dissident PTI lawmaker criticized the party and leadership for not giving him and other MPAs a chance to play a positive role in the legislative assembly and dictated them for point-scoring and political vendetta.
“I realized that we spent half of the time chanting slogans in the house,” he deplored.
Sachanand added that former opposition leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi did not allow them to become members of any standing committee of the assembly.
“It looks like we wasted time under the guidance of our leadership in the assembly. We apologise for it,” he said.
PPP’s Syeda Marvi Faseeh, Raja Razzaque, Kulsoom Chandio, Yousuf Baloch, Saleem Baloch, Taj Muhammad Mallah, Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Munawar Wassan and Lal Chand Ukrani; MQM-P’s Syed Hashim Raza, Shahana Ashar, Ghulam Jilani, Rabia Khatoon, Sanjay Perwani, Nasir Hussain Qureshi; PTI disgruntled Shahar Yar Khan Shar also spoke on the occasion.
10 pc quota for deserving students in private schools
Separately replying a call attention notice moved by MQM-P’s Mangla Sharma, Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah said that all private schools were bound to enroll 10 per cent deserving students but the department complaints that many schools had not been complying with it.
He said that it was responsibility of the government to provide education to a child aged five to 16 years as it was a constitutional binding that children should be given free education.
“It is a pity that these things have not been implemented,” he deplored.
Mangala Sharma said in her call attention notice highlighted that private schools were not following the free enrollment of 10 percent poor children, asking as to what steps were taken by the education department in this regard.
Rehabilitation centers for drug addicts
To another call attention notice, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla said that the Sindh government was increasing number of rehabilitation centers for drug addicted people.
He added that the addicts were also involved in other criminal activities in Karachi.
Later, the house was adjourned to Friday at 3pm.