ANP strongly protests against SPLGO; boycotts Senate/NA sessions

Awami National Party (ANP), an ally of the PPP government, Friday strongly protested the enforcement of People’s Metropolitan Corporation Ordinance 2012 in Sindh, in the National Assembly and Senate and announced the boycott of the sessions of the two houses.
Members of the ANP in both houses in their strong reaction accused the PPP-led government of trying to divide Sindh and said that by interfering in provincial matters, President Asif Ali Zardari was violating the constitution. They said ANP would not become part of division of Sindh.
Pervez Khan Advocate of ANP opposing the issuance of ordinance in the National Assembly said it is aimed at dividing the Sindh province. He said being the coalition members they were not consulted on the matter. He dubbed the issuance of the ordinance an attempt to delay the elections. He said the government should complete the tenure but elections should not be delayed. He said in protest against the ordinance ANP has withdrawn its minister from Sindh cabinet.
Responding to the points raised by the ANP leader, Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah saod the PPP never interfered in the affairs of KPK despite being allies of ANP in the government. He said the local bodies ordinance is there in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but no body objected over it. He said if ANP is opposed to any party, it should not criticize the system.
He assured that the elections will be held on time. He rejected the impression that the ordinance was issued to delay the general elections.
MQM’s Wasim Akhtar said the allies in Sindh government have jointly devised a system and no one should have any objection over it.
Federal Minister Ghaus Bakhsh Mehr also objected over the ordinance and said his party was not taken on board.
Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi directed Syed Khursheed Shah to take the allied parties into confidence and the matter be resolved through consultation.
In the Senate, ANP’s Parliamentary Leader Haji Adeel said his party has decided that its minister in Sindh cabinet will resign against the ordinance and they would completely boycott the sessions of the Senate and National Assembly.
Later talking to media outside the Parliament House, Senator Haji Adeel said allies were not taken into confidence on SPLGO.
ANP leader Bushra Gauhar said that the ANP was the ally of People’s Party in Sindh and the federation, but it was taken into confidence about this ordinance. She said the ordinance has been issued for pleasing one party only. “We do not accept the decision taken overnight”.
She also vowed that the boycott of both the houses of the parliament would continue until the withdrawal of the ordinance and added that a future strategy would be announced later.
Senator Shahi Syed said that this was not the war of ANP and MQM — it was the issue of the people over there. Terming the ordinance a black law, Shahi Syed said that what was the purpose of issuing SPLGO when elections of the local bodies were not being held in one or two months. He said issuing the ordinance was the practice of the autocrats; it was not justified in any way from a democratic government, he said.
The new law, which had been named “People’s Metropolitan Corporation Ordinance 2012”, was signed after days of intense deliberations between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the two major parties in Sindh’s ruling coalition.