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MQM-Pakistan criticises PPP govt for ‘running home ministry through media’

By M. Waqar Bhatti
January 19, 2017

Opposition parties call for extending Rangers

stay, differ on extent of powers for paramilitary force

Expressing serious concerns over the worsening law and order situation in Sindh especially in Karachi, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan demanded on Wednesday that the provincial government should immediately appoint a home minister.

“The home department’s portfolio is currently with the chief minister who is running it through the media. The ruling Pakistan People’s Party has many competent MPAs who can run the home department,” MQM MPA Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hasan, the leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly, said during the provincial legislature’s first session of the year.

The proceedings of the assembly were chaired by deputy speaker Shehla Raza.

Hasan also noted that conditions at the province’s prisons were “pathetic and painful” and human rights violations were being committed there.

“The prisoners in the province’s jails are being treated worse than animals,” he added.

The MPA said prisoners were tortured at prisons and the MQM-P had had held a press conference on this issue.

“We have also submitted a resolution in the assembly to discuss the matter in the House.”

 

Verbal spat

During the question answer session, queries about the provincial anti-corruption department were raised which resulted in a verbal spat between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional lawmakers.

Industries minister Manzoor Wassan of the PPP accused the PML-F of corrupt practices and the latter lashed back with similar allegations

Wassan alleged that PML-F leaders had illegally occupied 36,000 acres in Khairpur. He added that when he was the anti-corruption minister, he had pointed out this illegal activity by PML-F leaders.

PML-F lawmaker Nusrat Sahar Abbasi in response came up with a taunting remark for which deputy speaker Shehla Raza admonished her. Raza’s response further irked the ire of the PML-F MPAs and lawmakers from both sides started hurling accusations against each other at the same time.

Abbasi, while commenting on the answers provided by the anti-corruption department, said she was unsatisfied with the minister’s replies and maintained that she would expose the government’s corruption.

Her remarks infuriated senior minister Nisar Khuhro and a verbal spat ensued between Abbasi and Khuhro and the deputy speaker.

The deputy speaker then restrained Abbasi from further speaking on the matter.

On the occasion, the House was informed that from 2009 to 2013, the anti-corruption department had registered 776 cases, arrested 227 people and seized Rs836,630m.

During the debate, opposition lawmakers including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Samar Ali Khan, Abbasi and Hasan criticised the performance of the anti-corruption department.

Senior minister Nisar Khuhro defended the department’ efforts saying that courts were overburdened and not disposing of cases early.

Khuhro maintained that the provincial government had presented one year’s performance of the anti-corruption department and cases against accused were filed before courts.

He added that under the law, the anti-corruption department had no powers like plea bargaining such as the National Accountability Bureau possessed and admitted that only 15 people had been convicted by courts in corruption cases, a number that was unsatisfactory.

Later, the session was adjourned till Thursday morning.

 

Adjournment motion rejected

The deputy speaker rejected an adjournment motion by Nusrat Sahar Abbasi against the setting up of a new medical college in Ghotki.

Abbasi had argued that no new medical college should be established before resolving the issues of the Asifa and Mahar medical colleges.

Khuhro opposed the adjournment motion on technical grounds and said if Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had announced the setting up of a new medical college, nobody should oppose establishment of an institute of higher education.

Khuhro argued that in Tokyo alone, there were 500 universities and every city and district in Sindh required a university and college. On hearing the arguments, the deputy speaker termed the adjournment motion against the rules and rejected it.

 

Rangers powers

Opposition lawmakers said Rangers’ stay and special powers should be extended across Sindh and not just be limited to Karachi alone.

MQM-P lawmaker Syed Sardar Ahmed told reporters after the session that the Centre and and the Sindh government should jointly resolve the issue of extending the duration of Rangers’ special policing powers.

However, he added that the paramilitary force should not be given “absolute powers”.

He said the conflict would remain until Rangers started taking the chief minister, the chief secretary and the home department into confidence before taking any action

PTI MPA Khurram Sher Zaman called for giving extending Rangers powers’ across the province and deplored that the government had not allowed him to introduce a resolution for this purpose. He added that the provincial government neither wanted to improve the police force, nor was it ready to allow Rangers to work freely.