Eight PSP lawmakers attend PA session for first time

Eight members of the Sindh Assembly who had deserted their parent political parties and joined the newly-formed Pak Sarzameen Party attended the provincial assembly session for the first time on Friday with their new party affiliation.

Seven of the eight lawmakers were earlier affiliated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, while one had earlier belonged to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. These lawmakers resigned from their previous political parties but their membership of the house remained intact for varying reasons, mostly because they never appeared in person before the Speaker to verify their resignations, if any, tendered by them.

As per the assembly’s official record, these lawmakers are still shown affiliated with their respective parent political parties i.e. MQM and PTI. The now PSP MPAs, Sheeraz Waheed, Bilquees Mukhtar, Nadeem Razi, Muhammad Dilawar, Irtiza Khalil Farooqui, Mehmood Abdul Razzaque, Sheikh Abdullah, formerly of MQM, and Syed Hafeezuddin, formerly of PTI, have announced that they are part of a separate parliamentary group in the house.

Talking to journalists, MPA Muhammad Dilawar said that lawmakers belonging to the PSP would not let anti-state elements to get any opportunities. “Some other people went to India and raised anti-Pakistan slogans but we will stay here and raise slogans in favour of Pakistan,” he said. “We will now attend the session with regularity and we will annihilate the agents of RAW [India’s spy agency].”

Responding to a question, the MPA said that the house speaker had the authority to unseat any legislator who remains absent from the house for 40 days but “our resignations were not accepted for last two years.” Speaking to the media before the session, Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that they welcomed lawmakers of PSP in the house as they had always opposed the move to resign from the assembly.

Most MQM lawmakers skip session

Apparently dejected because of the ongoing rift and subsequent spilt among the ranks of MQM-P, just four out of the party’s 37 lawmakers attended Friday’s session, including, Leader of Opposition Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Syed Sardar Ahmed, Mehfooz Yar Khan and Raana Ansar.

Before heading into the house, Hassan told media personnel that the party may decide not to attend the ongoing session if the division persisted since it would be difficult for its lawmakers to cast votes in the upcoming Senate elections. “Perhaps, I’m here to attend a session of Sindh Assembly for the last time as I came today to offer prayers for Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani,” he said, adding a majority of the lawmakers of the party were absent.

“Our members of Sindh Assembly are dejected due to division of MQM. But they have sent out a clear message to PIB and Bahadurabad that they don’t recognise this division,” he said.

The opposition leader added that MPAs belonging to PSP had come to the house just to exercise their right to cast their vote in upcoming Senate elections in Sindh. The asked the PSP members to explain whose mandate they possessed at the moment.

Resolution adopted

The house offered prayers for the late minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and his wife, former MPA Fariha Razzaq Haroon. The house also adopted a resolution to pay homage to the political, democratic and parliamentary services of Bijarani.

Earlier, the house witnessed commotion as opposition MPA of PTI Khurrum Sher Zaman wanted the house to also offer a prayer for slain tribesman Naqeebullah Mehsud, who was killed in a fake police encounter, and to discuss the “uncalled for” remarks of former president and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari in favour of former SSP Malir Rao Anwar, who is accused of the extrajudicial murder.

The PTI lawmaker and minister Mumtaz Hussain Jakhrani of PPP exchanged heated remarks forcing Deputy Speaker Syeda Shehla Raza, who was chairing the session, to order the closure of their microphones.

The session was later adjourned till 3pm February 26. The house didn’t take up any of the items on the agenda, except the condolence for Bijarani.