The Sindh Assembly on Monday passed a unanimous resolution calling upon the federal government to immediately make public the findings of the investigation into the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto.
Besides, the provincial legislature saw the lawmakers from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Awami National Party (ANP) exchanging barbs and levelling serious allegations against each other over disturbing peace of the metropolitan.
The PPP-dominated House, called to order by Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro at the Assembly Secretariat with a two-hour delay, adopted – what Information Minister Shazia Marri later told the media – a “very important” resolution to register the “unanimous spirit” of the provincial legislature.
“This Assembly resolves and recommends to the Provincial Government to approach the Federal Government through Ministry of Interior, Islamabad to publish the investigation report regarding assassination of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto,” said the draft tabled by PPP lawmaker Mujadid Isran.
“And that the report be made public forthwith,” it demanded.
According to Marri, the resolution came in accordance with the current reconciliation-driven democratic spirit to respond to a longstanding general demand that is equally shared by all PPP leaders, including her.
“We receive calls from the people as well as our own soul to unmask the killers of Mohtarma Shaheed,” the information minister told a post-session briefing.
She said this was “our combined right” to know the facts about the assassination of the two-time prime minister of Pakistan.
Asked why her party, the PPP, deemed it necessary to demand its own leaders in the federation to make the report public, Marri replied that by passing Monday’s resolution, the lawmakers in Sindh had used their freedom of expression, which was never allowed in “dummy democracies” of the past.
During the Assembly session, Shoaib Bukhari of the MQM backed the resolution that, he said, was significant and should be passed unanimously by the House.
MQM, ANP LOCK HORNS: Earlier, the House proceedings were marred by a brief but hard-worded argument between the MQM and ANP legislators with both parties blaming each other for the deteriorating law and order situation in Karachi.
MQM lawmaker Khwaja Izharul Hassan slammed ANP leader Ilyas Bilour for his inflammatory statement saying no one reserved the right to dishonour the mandate of the MQM.
The outburst did not go well with Amanullah Mehsood of the ANP who, when allowed to take the floor, blasted MQM’s Faisal Sabzwari for his press conference held last week.
The MQM lawmakers were on their feet when Mehsood said it was an open secret who was involved in the May 12 carnage in Karachi.
The MQM lawmakers were quick in referring to the bloody incidents that took place in the Kati Pahari area.
The situation was defused only when the speaker intervened saying no fact-finding commission has been so far constituted to establish who was responsible for doing what.
“We should observe restraint as a murder can never be condoned in politics,” Khuhro said.
PRIVILEGE MOTION AGAINST EDU SECY: Marvi Rashidi of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML)-Functional tabled a privilege motion against Education & Literacy Secretary Siddique Memon, lamenting that four years have passed and the Assembly is yet to form the House’s privilege committee.
Senior Education & Literacy Minister Pir Mazharul Haq termed the event deplorable, assuring the lawmaker of an early response in subsequent sittings.
The speaker then deferred the matter until the next sitting to be held at 10:00 am on Wednesday.
LEGISLATIONS: On the legislative front, Law Minister Ayaz Soomro laid before the House two ordinances – the Land Acquisition (Sindh Amendment) Ordinance-2012, and the Establishment of the Office of Ombudsman for the Province of Sindh (Amendment) Ordinance-2012.
Moreover, the speaker announced the governor’s assent for the Sindh Sales Tax on Services (Amendments) Bill-2011, and the Sindh Public Property (Removal of Encroachment) Second Amendment Bill-2011.
‘KESC DISRUPTING LAW AND ORDER’: On points of order, Katchi Abadis Minister Rafique Engineer warned the management of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) against creating a law and order situation for the government by not addressing the employees’ issues.
LIKEMINDED ON POTABLE WATER: On another point of order, Abdul Razzak Rahimoon of the PML-Likeminded drew the House’s attention towards reverse osmosis plants in his area, 90 percent of which, he said, were out of order, thus depriving the locals of potable water.
During the question hour, Auqaf Minister Rafique Banbhan and Public Health Engineering Minister Muhammad Adil Siddiqui responded to the members’ starred and supplementary questions.
‘MAKING MONEY VIA UNSAFE BUILDINGS’: The Sindh government is making money through three buildings in the metropolitan that have been declared “unsafe” by the South Karachi administration, Auqaf Minister Rafique Banbhan told the Sindh Assembly.
The three dangerous buildings – the Khadija Bai Building in Khori Garden (Rs 6,000 a month), the Waqf Raja Ghulam Nabi Trust Building on Frere Road (Rs 24,000), and a building attached to the Jama Masjid Qasaban on Saddar’s Mir Karam Ali Talpur Road (Rs 13,000) – are fetching the Auqaf Department Rs 516,000 a year in rent.
