KARACHI - Heated debates on the provincial budget on Saturday took an ugly turn when women lawmakers from PML-F and PPP came face to face after PML-F lawmaker Nusrat Sehar Abbasi took out her shoe to throw at Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza.

The debate on budget continued for the sixth consecutive day in the provincial assembly on Saturday and top leaders from both treasury and opposition benches criticized each others’ political parties for corruption and other wrongdoings.

The situation during the debates took an ugly turn when PML-F lawmaker Nusrat Sehar Abbasi, in reaction to a speech by provincial minister Mumtaz Jakhrani, took out her shoe to throw it at Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza who remained unmoved by the incident and threatened opposition lawmakers of throwing them out of the house through sergeant at arms.

The incident began when provincial minister Mumtaz Jakhrani taunted the PML-F lawmaker and said there was a woman who was fond of criticizing the PPP before cameras.

“They are raising a hue and cry because they know about their defeat before the next general elections,” said the minister. He termed the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) as Gulli Danda Alliance and Pappu Party. He claimed that PPP would clean sweep the next general elections across the country and Bilawal Bhutto would be the party’s candidate for premiership.

Meanwhile, the opposition leader asked the deputy speaker to expunge remarks of the minister against the PML-F lawmaker.

However, the deputy speaker refused and encouraged the treasury lawmakers to give befitting response to the opposition as they have nothing to say in their favour.

Speaking about Nusrat Abbasi, the deputy speaker said she would raise hue and cry and she is like a patient on her death bed. These remarks infuriated the opposition lawmakers who gathered in front of the dice of the speaker for protest. On this, the deputy speaker asked the members if showing shoe at speaker’s chair is ethical and warned that she would call sergeant at arms to remove members from the assembly hall.

In the meantime, PPP lawmakers Kulsoom Chandio and Shehnaz Ansari approached Nusrat Sehar Abbasi, but they were sent back after mediation by opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan and PTI lawmaker Samar Ali Khan.

Speaking on the budget later, MQM-P parliamentary leader Syed Sardar Ahmed said that no action was taken on the suggestions given by parliamentarians.

He criticized the government for presenting a deficit budget and said that it should have managed its expenditure and revenue estimates. “When the entire development budget is not consumed by the end of the year, it is better to allocate funds that can be utilized,” he said.

He also called for an inquiry into the funds utilized under the Waseela Haq Program, NFC award, and food department and investments made by the provincial government. “The auditor general report had pointed out Rs273 billion irregularities in provincial departments,” he said.

He also asked the government to allow the Sindh Board of Revenue to collect agriculture tax to improve tax collection.

Minister for Planning and Development and PPP Karachi President Saeed Ghani said the provincial government carried out record development work in Karachi, including construction of Shahrah-e-Faisal underpass, Tariq Road and University Road.

“I will leave politics if any opposition leader will prove allocation of Rs90 billion for development work in Larkana,” he challenged and added that Rs30 billion were spent on uplift projects in Larkana over the last 10 years and Rs70 billion in Tharparkar.

Clarifying further, the minister said there was no case in NAB against PPP leader Faryal Talpur, but a probe is under way against Pir Pagara.

Taunting MQM, the minister said the party demands a separate province on the one hand and calls Sindh its motherland on the other. “How can a person divide his motherland,” he asked, and said there is confusion in MQM-P ranks.

About the view that someone from rural Sindh should be made chief minister of the province, Ghani said why did not the party raise this issue when the party was in a better position during Arbab Ghulam Rahim and Liaquat Jatoi’s tenure.

“Even the Mohajir community rejected them and the Liaquatabad gathering was an evidence of this,” he said, adding that Urdu-speaking community is looking towards Bilawal Bhutto.

Faisal Subzwari said the second consecutive government of the PPP in the province had ignored urban Sindh. Despite having Rs1,500 billion budget, he said, the incumbent government failed to change fate of the city during its tenure.

“They even ruined rural Sindh through their corrupt practices,” he said, adding that the situation the province is facing today is due to discrimination, corruption and incompetence of the government.

On the one hand the provincial government claims of being neglected in the federal budget and on the other it is neglecting Karachi, he said. He said the Sindh government has yet to announce the provincial finance commission. He said the PPP remained silent on exclusion of 15 million people of Karachi from the census. He said that when people will not be given due rights, they will ask for more administrative units. “As per the constitution, demanding new provinces is not tantamount to treason,” he said.

Minister for Local Government Jam Khan Shoro said the MQM destroyed Karachi’s institutions through political recruitments and now people of Karachi are bearing the brunt of these recruitments.

“The MQM should learn from its mistakes,” he said, adding that the party even did China cutting on a water board pumping station and occupied plots of people displaced by Lyari Expressway.

Speaking during the session, Minister for Information Nasir Hussain Shah said that they had completed work on KCR of their part and the delay is from the federal government’s side.

“We have sped up the work on mass transit projects and work is going on on Edhi BRTS line. Talks are under way with Asian Development Bank for Red Line BRTS project,” he said. He said there were 24 solar plant projects in the province and billions were spent on industrial areas of the province for better facilities. He claimed credit for revival of Karachi lights. The house proceedings were later adjourned until Monday.