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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Sindh PA condemns ‘selective accountability’ in country

By Azeem Samar
September 21, 2019

KARACHI: While condemning the arrest of senior PPP leader Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, the Sindh Assembly on Friday demanded to stop “selective accountability” against the Opposition leaders for the sake of democratic norms.

The house through majority vote adopted a resolution tabled by ruling Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Syeda Marvi Faseeh. The resolution stated: “This House vehemently condemns the arrest of Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, one of the senior most parliamentarians in the country, on the basis of selective accountability. This blatant act has exposed the nefarious designs of the federal government of employing selective accountability against their political opponents.

These pressure tactics cannot silence the opposition parties from raising voice against the illegal or unconstitutional practices of the federal government such as selective accountability.

This House recommends the Government of Sindh to approach the federal government to shun the practice of selective accountability as this process is endangering the democratic norms of the country”.

Speaking on her resolution, lady MPA of PPP Marvi Faseeh said the federal government is conducting selective accountability and these tactics would damage the democratic foundations of the country.

She said only the Peoples Party and other opposition political parties are being targeted in the accountability drive. During the speeches on the resolution, Opposition MPA belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Khurrum Sher Zaman pointed out lack of quorum in the house.

But Speaker of Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Khan Durrani snubbed him not to disturb the peaceful session.

Speaking on the resolution, PPP MPA Imdad Pitafi said even the opponents of Peoples Party praise the political services of Khursheed Shah.

He said the selective accountability is being carried out in a manner as if only the politicians are corrupt. Pitafi alleged the fiscal volume of charges of corruption against Khursheed Shah even exceeded country's budget. He said on the other hand the influentials linked to the present regime are being given chance to get themselves absolved of corruption charges through government's amnesty scheme.

PPP’s MPA Dr Sohrab Sarki said Khursheed Shah is being meted out a great injustice by the lopsided accountability campaign. He said the drive is being conducted to apprehend the Opposition’s politicians while sparing the rulers despite corruption cases against them. He said the investors and businessmen are also being discouraged and even forced to divest their investments.

Sarki said the unemployment and economic mess is bound to increase due to persecution of the Opposition politicians and businessmen in the name of accountability. He said Karachi is also being meted out step motherly treatment as federal government is attempting to single it out by taking over affairs of the city through imposition of Article-149.

Meanwhile, lawmakers of the Sindh Assembly expressed solidarity with people of Kashmir fighting for their right to self-determination in face of brutal regime of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These sentiments in support of Kashmiri people were expressed by the lawmakers as a delegation led by Speaker of the Constituent Assembly of Azad Kashmir Ghulam Qadir visited the house to witness the proceedings of Sindh Assembly.

Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Khan Durrani said the founder of PPP Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had forcefully pleaded the case of oppressed people of Kashmir before the comity of nations. He said the Chairman of PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had visited Azad Kashmir to caution the Indian regime against committing atrocities against the people of Occupied Kashmir.

The Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani reiterated firm resolve of the entire house to support people in occupied Kashmir against Modi's oppressive regime. The Leader of Opposition belonging to PTI Firdous Shamim Naqvi said Prime Minister Imran Khan would plead the case of the people of Kashmir at the UN’s General Assembly on September 27th. He said India is attempting to rule Occupied Kashmir through gun.