At a time when political pundits are foreseeing general elections in the not-too-distant future, the coalition partners in Sindh appear to be on opposite paths once again.
On Monday, members of the special house committee, formed by the Sindh Assembly to decide the fate of a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)-backed 20th Constitutional Amendment that calls for the abrogation of Article 239(4), hit a deadlock with the chairman of the body, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s senior provincial education minister Pir Mazharul Haq, tendering his resignation.
According to sources, the minister resigned from the committee’s chairmanship to protest media statements issued by and allegations made therein against him by committee members from the Awami National Party (ANP), the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), the National People’s Party (NPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q).
Also, the sources claimed, an exchange of allegations and counter-allegations were seen between Haq and his opponents including Jam Madad Ali of the PML-F, Shehryar Maher of the PML-Q, Ameer Nawab Khan of the ANP and Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the NPP during the meeting, which during the last session was mandated by the provincial legislature to review the admissibility of the NPP-backed draft. “You are selling out Sindh,” alleged one of the four, who backed the NPP resolution deeming the MQM proposed bill as a potential threat to the territorial integrity of Sindh.
“We are the sons of the soil and can never sell out Sindh,” replied the minister. “And those who are doing so are traitors,” he added.
Haq, who is the PPP’s parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly, said his party can never allow Sindh to be divided and that the NPP’s resolution carries signatures of 43 lawmakers that made his side give it special attention.
Now as the chairman has resigned, the committee proceedings would certainly hit a snag, which, if prolonged, would boil the political temperature in the provincial assembly session on Tuesday (today) that is a private members’ day.
“No one can read Pir Sahib’s intellectual super brain!” exclaimed a member of the committee. “He (Haq) feels insulted that we want a quick decision on the resolution,” the member went on, confirming that the senior minister has resigned. Declining to give any name for the next chairman of the committee, the member said the body would probably elect a new chairman in today’s (Tuesday) meeting.
“All committees must have a chairman, probably (the committee will) elect one at the meeting,” he added.
The committee member also had no idea about what the ruling PPP will do with the resolution. Last week, Arif Mustafa Jatoi of NPP had told Pakistan Today that Haq was not running the committee meetings as per the terms of reference set by the assembly. He had claimed that the senior minister was rather questioning the mandate of the body.
What’s the matter Mr senior minister, can’t take criticism?
