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Friday March 29, 2024

MQM MPAs walk out of Sindh Assembly over rejection of resolution

By Azeem Samar
March 29, 2017

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmakers walked out of the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday in protest against rejection of a private resolution by one of the party’s legislators on the issue of shortage of staff in public colleges.

The motion moved by MPA Saifuddin Khalid called on the government to take immediate measures to fill the vacant posts of the teaching and non-teaching staff of colleges in the province, particularly in Karachi.

Khalid said that Sir Syed Government Girls College had 31 teaching departments, majority of which lacked subject specialist teachers, and that the situation was similar to that of Abdullah Government College for Women.

He said that if prominent public colleges of Karachi were facing shortage of teachers, then anyone could guess the situation of staffers in public colleges located in the underprivileged areas of the city, including New Karachi, Korangi, Gadap and Malir.

MQM MPA Sabir Hussain said the issue being discussed in the House was not confined to only Karachi but it was a common problem all across Sindh.

Hussain said the standard of education in the province had declined because of shortage of teachers everywhere, as even primary education was not being focused on with the level of attention it required.

He said the textbooks being printed by the Sindh Textbook Board were replete with mistakes, adding that the war on terrorism could only be won after improving the standard of education.

MQM MPA Dr Zafar Kamali said any society could only progress after focusing on improving its system of education.

Education Minister Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar claimed that the issue of shortage of teachers in public colleges had been overcome, and that the problem did not exist at 90 per cent of the institutions any more.

Dahar said that more teaching staffers for public colleges would be recruited through the Sindh Public Service Commission while the newly recruited teachers would be required to submit an undertaking under which they would be required to serve for a period of five years at the educational institutions where they would be posted for the first time.

He said the new teachers would be dismissed from service if they tried to use influence or unfair means to get transferred to some other college during the first five years.

He added that the teachers would be required to teach for 42 hours a week and they would also be required to deliver five lectures a week.

In view of the minister’s explanation, Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani rejection the resolution, following which MQM lawmakers walked out from the House for a brief period of time.

Another motion rejected

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) MPA Nand Kumar’s private resolution as regards setting up trauma centres was also rejected by the provincial legislature.

The motion called on the government to establish well-equipped modern trauma centres in every district headquarters of the province to provide immediate treatment, particularly to the victims of accidents and other emergencies.

Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro said the government was upgrading the status of district headquarter hospitals in the province to provide modern trauma and surgical treatment as well as other necessary medical facilities.

Mandhro said that Kumar had submitted the resolution some two years ago and that it had become ineffective after provision of facilities to district headquarter hospitals, adding that 25 trauma centres in Sindh were being made functional.

He said the government had signed a memorandum of understanding for launching an ambulance service for the entire province, comprising a fleet of 300 vehicles, while a call centre with the phone number 1036 would also be set up for the service.

Review body formed

The House formed a four-member committee, comprising lawmakers Nisar Khuhro, Mahtab Rashdi, Dr Seema Zia and Syed Sardar Ahmad, to review the provincial health policy and recommending improvements in the guidelines.

The body was formed after the private resolution of PML-F MPA Mahtab. The motion called on the government to declare health as a fundamental human right and take steps to formulate the provincial health policy to resolve the critical health and nutrition issues of the province.

The committee was constituted on the suggestion of Dr Mandhro, who said the province had its own health policy but it was quite possible that it was not being completely acted upon.

Health insurance cards

Another private resolution moved by MQM MPA Kamran Akhtar called on the government to issue health insurance cards to all the “living legends” who worked for or served society, particularly professional journalists, as well as to set up an endowment fund for them.

The motion was referred to the Sindh Assembly’s Standing Committee on Health for further review and for devising a strategy for issuing health insurance cards.

Discussion on Jirgas

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Khuhro said there was a ban on convening Jirgas in view of the judgements of the superior courts but there was no ban on resolving disputes out of court.

The minister was speaking on MQM MPA Heer Soho’s private resolution calling on the government to take action against “illegal Jirgas” violating the basic human rights in the province. He said alternative systems dispensing justice were present all over the world for settling disputes out of court, adding that such alternative systems could be named anything.

Khuhro said the word “Jirga” did not originate in Sindh, as nobody knew where the tradition of convening Jirgas began, adding that even in developed countries alternative systems of justice, such as citizens’ courts and citizens’ jury, existed. He said the panchayat systems or other forms of dispute resolution commissions existed during all eras and times. He referred to a recent report stating that only 13 judges could not hear thousands of cases.

Select committee formed

The House formed a five-member select committee to review the affairs relating to emoluments and privileges of MPAs.

The body comprises Khuhro, Dr Mandhro, Transport Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, Heer and Mahtab.

The committee was set up on the issue raised on a point of order by MQM MPA Diwan Chand Chawla calling for raising salaries and other privileges of lawmakers on a par with MPAs of other provincial assemblies of the country.