PA demands free CNICs for citizens ahead of elections

The Sindh Assembly on Tuesday urged the federal government to make the process of issuing computerised national identity cards (CNICs) free of charge so citizens are able to cast their votes in the general elections scheduled to be held later this year.

The provincial legislature passed a resolution calling upon the Centre to withdraw the recent hike in fees for issuing and renewing CNICs. The motion said the National Database & Registration Authority’s (Nadra) decision is tantamount to depriving citizens of their basic right to vote in the upcoming general elections.

The resolution was moved by Heer Ismail Soho, who was elected as a member of the PA on the ticket of the opposition Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on the seat reserved for women, but she recently joined the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and now sits on the treasury benches.

The motion, which was moved in the House out of turn towards the fag end of the proceedings, states: “This House resolves and recommends to the Sindh government to approach the federal government to withdraw the recent increase in charges for CNIC registration by Nadra.

“The exorbitant charges related to Nadra registration will make it difficult for citizens to have CNICs and to cast votes. Therefore, to ensure that voting is accessible to everyone, free NICs should be issued and the number of mobile registration vans should be increased. All these initiatives will definitely increase the representation of citizens in the upcoming elections.”

Earlier, the issue of hike in charges by Nadra for issuing and renewing CNICs was raised in the House on a point of order by Sindh Chief Minister’s Adviser on Social Welfare Shamim Mumtaz. She expressed serious concern that various fees prescribed for issuing CNICs during normal and urgent bases have been almost doubled without any valid cause.

The speaker advised the provincial adviser to move a resolution on the issue so that a debate can be held in the House to properly discuss the matter.

Water shortage

The House, through a majority vote, rejected an adjournment motion moved by an opposition lawmaker of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Khurrum Sher Zaman, on the issue of water shortage in the city. The legislator, along with his fellow MPAs on the opposition benches, protested in the House against the rejection of the motion.

Sindh Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro said the opposition lawmakers have been constantly raising the issue of water shortage in the metropolis during PA proceedings. Shoro said that while the provincial government, on several occasions, has amply given its version on the matter, it is uncalled for to move again an adjournment motion on the same issue.

It is interesting to mention here that for a while, electricity supply remained interrupted during the proceedings of the PA sitting, but Speaker Agha Siraj Khan Durrani continued with the agenda of the day.  

Passenger buses

Sindh Information and Transport Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that none of the transporters doing business in the city is ready to ply the new public passenger buses despite the efforts of the provincial government to this effect.

The transport minister said this while responding to oral and written queries of lawmakers during the sitting’s question hour relating to the provincial transport department.

He said the government is willing to provide incentives and due facilities to transporters so they can ply the new buses in the metropolis, but no transporter is keen on launching new passenger carrier service in the city. Shah said the provincial administration is willing to take the responsibility of providing insurance coverage and leasing facility for the financial operation of the new public buses in the metropolis.

Responding to other queries of legislators, he said the infrastructure being constructed by the federal government for the Green Line section of Karachi’s bus rapid transit system (BRTS) is far from being completed.

The minister said that at present, not even a motorcycle can run smoothly on the corridor being constructed in the city to build the BRTS’s Green Line section. He said Karachi will witness the launching of bus services on different sections of the BRTS in the coming four years as the proper mode of mass transit system in the metropolis.

Shah said that more buses will be launched on the pattern of the recently inaugurated service comprising a fleet of 10 modern air-conditioned buses plying from the Merewether Tower to Dawood Chowrangi via Sharea Faisal.

He said the launch of the new bus service is just the beginning of more such transport projects on different routes of the city, adding that soon a pink public bus service will be launched and it will be dedicated for the city’s female passengers.

The minister informed the lawmakers that there are 110 routes for operating public buses in the metropolis, as the provincial government has been according preference to launching bus services on 30 of these routes.  

Paan and Gutka

Speaker Durrani censured Sindh Law Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar and another legislator of the PPP, Faraz Dero, for chewing Paan and Gutka in the House during the sitting.

The speaker said that such lawmakers who are inclined towards chewing Gutka should better leave the House and indulge in the practice while outside the assembly. Both the treasury lawmakers left the House after being criticised by Durrani.

Later, the law minister clarified that he was not chewing Gutka but rather it was chewing gum that he was indulging in. He sought the speaker’s apology on his misconduct.  

Careem data leak

A resolution was submitted to the secretariat of the provincial legislature against the latest instance of hacking and leak of online data of customers of the ride-hailing service Careem.

The motion was moved by opposition MPA Irum Azeem Farooque, who was elected to the House on the ticket of the MQM, but later quit the party and is now an independent lawmaker. The resolution urged the speaker to constitute a committee comprising members of the House to inquire into the incident. It also urged the government that officials of the online ride-hailing service should be questioned about the latest instance of hacking and leak of customer data.