Monday saw the Sindh Assembly up in an ear-splitting bedlam as the Pakistan People’s Party coalition partners minced no words to oppose the Sindh People’s Local Government Ordinance (SPLGO) 2012, calling it a black law being passed overnight against the will of the people of Sindh.
A majority of 149-strong Sindh Assembly supported the bill, while 18 members from the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), National People’s Party (NPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and the Awami National Party (ANP) opposed it.
As soon as Speaker Nisar Khuhro called the hurriedly-called session to order, PPP’s coalition partners from PML-F, PML-Q, Pakistan Muslim League-LM, NPP and ANP stood up and started shouting slogans against the SPLGO 2012. Sporting black armbands, the opponents of the ordinance tore copies of the orders of the day, chanted slogans against what they called a “black law” and later boycotted the sitting to stage a sit-in outside the Assembly Building.
Jam Madad Ali Khan of the PML-F first confronted the speaker over his side’s long pending request for allotment of seats on opposition benches. The speaker said he could not allot the seats unless the Sindh governor approved their resignations and all applicable rules took their course.
PPP stalwarts like Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah, Senior Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq, Food Minister Nadir Magsi, Law Minister Ayaz Soomro and Information Minister Sharjeel Memon one after another engaged in verbal clashes with the sloganeers, only to enrage the opposition members who sat on the floor of the House in protest. The speaker repeatedly called upon the protesting lawmakers to record their protest at their seats in line with parliamentary rules, but in vain. At one point, Shehryar Meher of the PML-Q went to his seat to speak but found his microphone switched off. PML-F lawmaker Nusrat Seher Abbasi, backed by party member Marvi Rashdi and ANP’s Amanullah Mehsud, kept shouting “ordinance ka jo yar hay ghaddar hay ghaddar hay”.
However, after heated debates and an ear-splitting rumpus in the House, the PPP and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), who form a majority, passed the disputed ordinance into law “unanimously”. The ordinance was tabled by the Sindh law minister.
The assembly session also passed an adjournment motion-turned resolution to condemn the blasphemous movie that has hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims across the globe and triggered global violent protests.
Tabled by MQM’s Parliamentary Leader in Sindh Assembly Sardar Ahmed, the resolution said the production and exhibition of the anti-Islam film could result in turmoil and chaos across the world. The House also heard Humera Alwani’s complain that her privilege was allegedly hurt by Sindh Police DIG Mushtaq Mehar by his “irresponsible and non-serious” attitude towards the MPA’s repeated requests for a security guard owing to “serious life threats” being received by Alwani and her family. Opposition lawmakers later held a joint press briefing outside the assembly premises, saying the ordinance was the first step towards the division of Sindh. Jam Madad Ali Khan of the PML-F, Masroor Jatoi of NPP, Amir Nawab Khan of ANP and Shaharyar Maher of the PML-Q addressed reporters and called PPP a “traitor of Sindh”. The leaders demanded the implementation of a uniform administrative system from Karachi up until Kashmor.
They called the “so-called champions of democracy” in the PPP “traitors of Sindh” who earlier introduced the ‘One Unit system’ in the country in the past. Jam Madad and Amir Nawab Khan questioned why the PPP was in such a hurry to pass the ordinance. Amir Nawab said coalition partners could have reformed the 1979 Ordinance through dialogue, but it was never tried by the PPP. Referring to the Dhaka Debacle of 1971, Masroor Jatoi of the NPP said the policy of “You there, we here” should not be followed by the PPP leaders. Asked if his side was intending to resign from the assembly, Shehryar Mehar of the PML-Q replied in negative, saying they would go for a constitutional fight to oppose the law tooth and nail.
On the other hand, proponents of SPLGO 2012, including provincial misters Sharjeel Memon of the PPP and Raza Haroon and Faisal Sabzwari of the MQM said it was unfair to oppose the ordinance without reading it thoroughly. Memon said the opposition never proposed a single amendment to the ordinance which was in the making for the last three years. “They perhaps are just politicking,” he alleged. Haroon said the difference of opinion was the beauty of a healthy democracy, adding that law was not new and was being formulated for the last couple of years.
Opp up in arms as Sindh Assembly passes LG Ord
