KARACHI - Noisy protests over the issue of non-allotment of opposition seats as well as against the assent of acting governor to the revived Local Government Ordinance 1979 are expected by the MQM in the Sindh Assembly sitting which would resume after three days recess on Monday (today).
Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza will chair the session as speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro currently holds the post of the acting governor in absence of Dr Ishratul Ebad who has been summoned to London by his party leadership after repeal of the Sindh People’s Local Government Act, 2012, and reviving of the Local Government Ordinance 1979.
MQM lawmakers are also likely to stage protest against the alleged remarks of Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq, who last night said the government would not allow establishment of a public varsity in Hyderabad city, as law and order situation was deliberately being created at the Sindh University, Jamshoro, by certain elements only to materialise their demand of new university.
The MQM has already held protest demonstrations against the education minister’s remarks, while it is likely to repeat the same in today’s sitting. However, the acting governor has not accepted the resignations of the MQM’s ministers as party after parting ways with the PPP government submitted application for allotment of opposition seats for them.
But so far neither the Assembly secretariat has allotted them separate seats nor issued notification to appoint MQM’s parliamentary leader as opposition leader.
Although the assent/announcement of ‘repeal of Sindh Peoples Local Government Act 2012 and revival of Local Government Ordinance 1979 is not on the agenda of the today’s session, officials privy to the assembly secretariat confirmed that the governor’s assent to the bill would be tabled as supplementary agenda.
Meanwhile, the consideration of the ‘Public Procurement (Amendment) Bill 2013, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Law University at Karachi Bill 2013 and other bills are part of the agenda of today’s sitting of the assembly, besides report of Standing Committee on Home Department regarding suggestions to improve law and order situation in the province is on the sitting’s agenda.
However, the PPP government is likely to table some other issues for legislation in the Sindh Assembly which were pending for a long time due to the opposition of the MQM.