Motion urging govt to repatriate Pakistanis from Bangladesh blocked in PA

The treasury benches on Tuesday opposed a private resolution presented in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh to urge the government to ensure the earliest repatriation of a large number of stranded Pakistanis living in refugee camps in Bangladesh. The resolution was presented by opposition lawmaker Ziaul Haque of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).

The resolution urged the government to “repatriate the stranded Pakistani nationals in Bangladesh, who having rendered immense sacrifices for the sake of Pakistan’s sovereignty and security in 1971, have been languishing in refugee camps in Bangladesh for an extended period of 52 years (since the fall of Dhaka), yet still profess their unwavering loyalty to Pakistan by raising slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’”.

Sindh Law, Home and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar opposed the resolution, saying that the issue raised in it pertains to the federal government, so it should be presented in the National Assembly.

The House, however, unanimously passed a resolution in favour of paying a technical allowance to engineers employed by various organisations. The resolution was moved by MQM-P legislator Adil Askari.

Sindh Senior Information and Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon supported the resolution, saying that there is no harm in paying any special allowance to engineers, who attain a special status in society after much hard work. He said the provincial government wants to encourage and appreciate professionals and workers belonging to different fields.

Askari also mentioned that a special allowance should be paid to engineers in view of the fact that the chief minister, opposition leaders and many ministers who serve in the province also possess engineering degrees.

Separately, speaking on a point of order, MQM-P MPA Sabir Qaimkhani demanded that teaching vacancies should be announced for public schools in all parts of the province instead of favouring any particular area in Sindh.

Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah said the provincial government in its previous term had conducted Pakistan’s largest recruitment drive for hiring teachers for public schools.

Shah said he had earlier shared in the House the detailed policy of the teacher recruitment drive. He said he would resign and never come back to the PA if someone can point out any flaw in the recruitment drive.