KARACHI - With just four days left for the Sindh Assembly to complete its first 100 days of the newly elected assembly, it is yet to carry out any legislation despite being one of the assemblies that had passed most bills and resolutions among four provincial assemblies of the country during the last five year tenure.

The first sitting of the assembly was held on August 13 after the general elections on 25 July and since then, the assembly had held 20 sittings but neither it has passed a bill nor any standing committees or an all-important public accounts committee is formed that are the main tools of legislation and accountability of the government in the house.

Two bills were introduced in the August house with one titled Code of Civil Procedure (Sindh Amendment) Bill, 2018 tabled on November 12 and the other tabled on November 15 titled Sindh Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Bill, 2018.

Even no private member bill was part of the provincial assembly agenda during the private member’s day on November 13.  

According to the procedure of the assembly, a government bill is introduced from the minister incharge of the department or the parliamentary minister or another treasury lawmaker allowed by the speaker.

The bill would initially be introduced in the house and could be taken up for consideration at once or would be sent to the concerned standing committees- that has representation of both opposition and treasury sides. The standing committee would review all its aspects and would submit a consensus bill in the house for consideration and approval.

The bill after approval from the house would then be sent to the Governor Sindh for final ascent - who could reject it for the first time and sent it back to house for reconsideration and after approval from the assembly for second time, he do not has the authority to reject it again.

The assent of the bill would then be announced in assembly session from the chair - speaker, deputy speaker, panel of four chairmen or any other member designated by the speaker.         

Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmaker Muhammad Hussain, who is part of the sixth provincial assembly, told The Nation that they had raised the issue of absence of standing committees, business advisory committees and select committees in meetings with the treasury lawmakers in presence of Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani.

“A progress is made in this regard and we have agreed upon the ratio through which all the parties would have their role in the standing committees,” he informed but said that a delay is being made from the treasury side over the issue.

“The session that began on November 09 was the first session in which legislation was introduced as earlier sessions were consumed in oath from lawmakers, speaker, deputy speaker and debate on remaining budget of nine month for fiscal year 2018-19,” he said adding that now two bills have been introduced in this session and one would be considered on Monday (today).

Elaborating the details, of the standing committees, PTI lawmaker Jamal Siddiqui informed that out of the total 34 standing committees the opposition would lead 14 of them as per the ratio agreed between government and opposition. “It is still to be decided as to how many of them and with what ratio is to be divided amongst the three opposition parties including PTI, GDA and MQM-P,” he said.

Speaking regarding the public accounts committee, he said that no talks have begun between the two sides in the assembly over the members and the chairperson of the provincial watchdog committee.

He said that bringing legislation in the house is primarily responsibility of the government side and the opposition could only bring its legislation on private members day.

Responding to it, Advisor to CM Sindh on Information Murtaza Wahab said that the legislative work has begun in the provincial assembly and they had brought three laws in the house. “By the deadline of first 100 days of the assembly, we will be bringing four more laws in the house,” he said and added that in the absence of standing committees, they have formed select committees to review the laws in the house.

He further said that even the federal government that has been installed before them is unable to form any standing committees. “First those who had taken oath before us should form the committees then we will follow their footsteps,” he said and added that they had finalized the ratios of distribution of standing committees and after receiving names from opposition sides, it would be announced soon.