Opposition walks out of Sindh Assembly once again

KARACHI: The opposition in the Sindh Assembly on Friday once again walked out of the proceedings of the house as an opposition lawmaker belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and a provincial minister slammed each other during the session.

The proceedings of the house were marred during a discussion on a call-attention notice as the opposition MPA of PTI Jamal Siddiqui and Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani traded acrimonious allegations against each other. The opposition lawmaker, through his call-attention notice, raised the issue of water shortage in his constituency in Karachi and the continuing operation of illegal water supply hydrants.

During the discussion on the call-attention notice, Sindh local govt minister faced the allegation that he had been receiving ill-gotten money from the water hydrants in Sindh.

Responding to the allegation, the Sindh local govt minister informed the house that the opposition had started hurling such accusations against him as he had removed the brother of the opposition legislator of PTI in question (who asked the call-attention notice) from the position of the director general of Karachi Development Authority.

He said that the brother of the PTI legislator had been removed from the position of chief of KDA as he had been in the constant practice of consuming liquor during office hours and he also used to attend official meetings while being under the influence of alcohol.

He said that the former chief of KDA didn’t end his alcoholism despite several warnings by him and at last he was compelled to remove him from the post.On these remarks of the Sindh local govt minister, the opposition became infuriated and demanded an apology from him. Saeed Ghani refused to offer an apology while saying that he stood by his remarks.

The opposition lawmakers resorted to protest in the house and later walked out of the house. On Thursday, the opposition legislators protested in the house and later staged a walkout against discussion on an adjournment motion on the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

Meanwhile, Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, while responding to a call-attention notice, said that a proper centre would start functioning in the province in July this year to train government schoolteachers according to global standards for training of teachers.

Meanwhile, the house continued discussion on the adjournment motion on 18th Constitutional Amendment. The adjournment motion was moved by an MPA of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party Ghazala Siyal amid reports that plans were being made to undo the 18th Amendment.

Taking part in the discussion, MPA of PPP Raja Razzaq said that national interests would be harmed if in case someone attempted to alter the Constitution. He said that parliament had duly passed the 18th Amendment and the present federal government should desist from undoing it.

He said that failure of the present federal government had become obvious owing to the fact that the National Assembly in the last eight months didn’t pass a single legislation.

MPA of opposition Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Syed Abdul Rasheed said that the present federal government had been raising non-issues like the 18th Amendment to cover up its consistent failures. He said the present government had caused massive unemployment, price-hike, and inflation, causing serious distress to people.

Sindh Women Development Minister Shehla Raza said the present government should desist from making any attempt to curtail or withdraw the provincial autonomy as enshrined in the Constitution.

She said the Sindh government had upgraded, improved, and expanded three major public sector hospitals in Karachi devolved to it under the 18th Amendment.

She said the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, and National Institute of Child Health in Karachi had become exemplary institutions after massive investment in them by the Sindh government. She said that the country had been passing through critical times and the government should not make any move to roll back the 18th Amendment.

PPP’s MPA Shazia Umer said that people in the country scheming against the legitimate interests of Sindh had been making attempts to undo the 18th Amendment.