PA calls upon Sindh govt to take more steps for women’s development

The Sindh Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution calling on the Pakistan Peoples Party-led provincial government to take more steps for women’s development in Sindh in accordance with the Constitution.

The resolution was moved jointly in the house by both treasury and opposition lawmakers in connection with International Women’s Day which was marked worldwide on Thursday.

The resolution paid tribute to the late Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, Benazir Bhutto, Asma Jahangir, and other prominent women making a difference in the country. It called upon the government to ensure full protection of the social, legal and political rights of women and urged it work on women’s development.

PPP’s Saira Shahliani, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Rana Ansar, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Sorath Thebo, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Dr Seema Zia and PML-Functional’s Nand Kumar were among the lawmakers who moved the resolution.

Speaking in the house, the lawmakers said women had played an active role in every era of history and no one could deny their true talent and potential to actively serve several professions.

They pointed out that much was yet to be done by the government to safeguard the due rights of women, to save them from social and economic exploitation and injustices, and provide them an enabling environment so that they could take full advantage of their true talent, intelligence, and potential. They said that women should not be subjected to discrimination as they had every right to an education and to actively serve any profession or field of their choice and earn a living.

Expulsion order

Moreover, Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, who was chairing Thursday’s session, ordered the sergeant-at-arms of the provincial assembly to expel an opposition lawmaker of MQM from the house when he refused to obey the deputy speaker’s order to stay quiet in the house after a heated exchange.

MQM’s Muhammad Hussain Khan stood up in protest as the deputy speaker denied the opportunity to a colleague opposition lawmaker Khurrum Sher Zaman of PTI to ask a supplementary verbal question during the question hour session.

Hussain kept on speaking about the “antagonistic and hostile” conduct of the deputy speaker towards the opposition even though his microphone had been switched off.

Shehla Raza gave Hussain’s expulsion orders on becoming infuriated as the opposition lawmaker had allegedly made some personal remarks against her.

However, Leader of the Opposition Khawaja Izharul Hassan, who also belongs to MQM, stepped in to mediate and diffuse the tense situation. A while later, Hussain left the house on his own accord.

Racing on Sharea Faisal

The house was assured that the Sindh government would take more steps to prevent the deadly motorcycle racing prevalent on Shahrea Faisal which has been causing frequent deaths of young people.

The assurance came from Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on the call to attention notice of PTI’s Dr Seema Zia. Zia wanted to know about the steps being taken by the government to stop the bloody sport, which, she said, had caused the deaths of 800 youngsters and injuries to 600 others who had been involved in unlawful and unchecked motorcycle racing on the city’s main artery.

Shah, the information minister, said that traffic police has been taking steps on a daily basis against such unlawful racing, while helmets had been made compulsory for motorbike riders. He added tracking devices were being installed to check such unauthorised use of motorcycles in the city and more steps will be taken.

Separately, Culture Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah said that an endowment fund of Rs1 billion was being used to carry out repair and maintenance work on the historic Ranikot Fort in Jamshoro district.

He said this while responding to a call to attention notice of opposition lawmaker Rana Ansar. The minister said every effort was being made to preserve and conserve Ranikot as it was an important archaeological and heritage site of the province. No repair or conservation work had carried out on Ranikot since the creation of Pakistan, which has caused damage to the fort’s 600-feet long wall.