Next PA sitting rescheduled to be held today

The next sitting of the Sindh Assembly’s current session, which has been under way since January 9, has been preponed from February 27 to Friday (today) at 2pm.

The order to reschedule the PA sitting was issued on Thursday by acting speaker Rehana Laghari, who took over after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Speaker Agha Siraj Khan Durrani in Islamabad a day earlier.

The order reads: “In pursuance of Article 53(3) read with Article 127 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973 and in exercise of the powers conferred upon me under Rule 29 of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, I, Ms Rehana Laghari, acting speaker, Provincial Assembly of Sindh, do hereby call the sitting of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh to meet on Friday, the 22nd February, 2019 at 2pm.”

The acting speaker also issued a production order for Durrani to attend the sitting. PA Secretary GM Umar Farooq has written to the NAB Karachi chief with the subject ‘Production of Mr Agha Siraj Khan Durrani, MPA from constituency PS-9 Shikarpur-III’.

The letter states: “I am to state that the madam acting speaker, Provincial Assembly of Sindh, has called the sitting of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh to meet on Friday, the 22nd February, 2019 at 2pm.

“While Rule 82(2) of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, 2013 provides that the speaker or chairman of a committee may summon a member in custody to attend the sitting(s) of the Assembly or meeting(s) of a committee of which he is a member, if he considers his presence is necessary.

“The madam acting speaker, Provincial Assembly of Sindh in exercise of powers vested upon her under Rule 82(2) of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, 2013 has summoned the above subjected member to attend the session of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh till prorogation, which will commence on Friday, the 22nd February, 2019 at 2pm in the Sindh Assembly building, Karachi.

“In this regard, it is, therefore, requested to please ensure the production of Mr Agha Siraj Khan Durrani, MPA, in the said current session till prorogation.” Copies of the letter have been sent to the NAB chairman, the Sindh chief secretary, the provincial advocate general and the law secretary.

Two other incarcerated members of the House, Sharjeel Memon of the Pakistan Peoples Party and Javed Hanif of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, will also attend the PA sitting today.