Sindh Assembly up in arms against ‘Punjab High Court’

The Sindh Assembly on Thursday witnessed a heated sitting that was full of politicking, as provincial lawmakers condemned the verdict of what they called “Punjab High Court” in favour of the “anti-federation” and “anti-Sindh” Kalabagh Dam (KBD).
Lawmakers from the two divides of the 168-member, PPP-dominated House, however, got into a political infighting when the opposition blasted the ruling PPP for its failure to bury the “dead horse” of KBD once and for all, while the treasury members lambasted the former for siding with pro-KBD dictators in the past.
At least four separate resolutions were tabled in the House, two by PPP legislators and on each by lawmakers from the PML-F and MQM, in which the decision of Lahore High Court (LHC) was strongly rejected. Some members went as far as recalling the “judicial murder” of ZA Bhutto at the hands of judiciary in Punjab. Those who moved the resolutions included Dr Sikandar Mandhro and Imran Nazir Leghari of the PPP, Khalid Ahmed of the MQM and Nusrat Seher Abbasi of the PML-F.
The movers were allowed to read out their resolutions by Speaker Nisar Khuhro, who said KBD was such an important issue that could be debated in the assembly for the entire week. PPP’s Imran Leghari slammed Punjab Chief Minster Shahbaz Sharif for covertly mobilising the courts against Sindh by enlivening the “dead horse” of Kalabagh Dam.
He held the Sharifs responsible for pitting the people of the four federating units against each other by supporting such unpopular projects. MQM’s Ahmed made “bureaucracy” accountable for not documentarily doing away with KBD-like mega projects that had been rejected by three provincial legislatures of the country.
In, his resolution, the MQM lawmaker said once completed, the project would “adversely affect” the economy of the three opposing provinces – Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.
“We would never allow the building of Kalabagh Dam,” Ahmed said.
Dr Mandhro’s resolution said the construction of controversial dam would be “detrimental” to the interest of the federation. The PML-F’s resolution also rejected the “dead issue”, saying the move was aimed at creating unrest among the masses.
While Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza repeatedly referred to LHC as the “Punjab High Court”, the PPP’s parliamentary party leader in Sindh Assembly Pir Mazharul Haque recalled that the same court had blood of ZA Bhutto on its hand.
Pir wondered if a conspiracy could really originate from a “sacred institution” like the judiciary. Agha Siraj Durrani went a step further and claimed that Nawaz Sharif was financing the entire campaigning of the “Khapao Committee” (Sindh Bachao Committee) in Sindh.
Food Minister Mir Nadir Magsi said the dam could only be backed by the “enemies” of Sindh and that Sindhis would rise against the Centre if the project was undertaken. “It’s a dead issue,” he told the House.
The situation, however, turned ugly when PML-F’s Nusrat Abbasi blasted the ruling PPP for not being able to bury the anti-Sindh project once and for all.
She also questioned Federal Information Minister’s Qamar Zaman Kaira for talking about developing consensus on the KBD. “The petitioners (in LHC case) should also be exposed,” she said, alleging that the Ministry of Water and Power had misled the courts on the feasibility of the project. Nusrat alleged that PPP rulers in 1973 had approved the feasibility report of KBD. “Now you have the power, the reconciliation, even the ‘Qatil-League’ is sitting with you. Why don’t you burry this dam once and for all?” she said.
As expected, this hard-hitting speech inflamed and pitched the PPP lawmakers against their counterparts from the PML-F. The subsequent moments saw PPP lawmakers like Rafique Engineer, Ghulam Qadir Chandio and Sharjeel Memon exchanging barbs one by one with the PML-F lawmaker. None among Shehla Raza, Pir Mazaharul Haq or Siraj Durrani could keep their speeches focused on KBD and kept attacking the functional league.
Earlier, Minister for Environment and Alternative Energy Development Sheikh Muhammad Afzal responded to starred and supplementary questions of the House during the Question Hour.
The speaker later adjourned the House until Friday, when it would continue discussion on the resolutions against KBD.