Former allies from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) confronted each other as the Sindh Assembly on Wednesday reassembled to mourn the sudden demise of PPP lawmaker Rafique Engineer.
The PPP legislators termed it politicisation of a terrorist attack that left at least 50 people killed and several others injured as their counterparts from the MQM protested and walked out of the house against on what they claimed was the inaction of the PPP-led government to arrest the culprits of Abbas Town tragedy despite having intelligence reports about the incident.
The two sides, however, ended up in adopting unanimously a joint resolution to condemn Sunday’s terrorist blasts in the city.
The MQM lawmakers resisted when PPP’s Sikandar Mandhro took the floor to move a motion seeking nod of the house for tabling a condemnation resolution against Sunday’s tragedy.
The newly-appointed Leader of Opposition Sardar Ahmed of MQM and Khwaja Izharul Hasan said the government had failed to take action against those responsible for Abbas Town carnage despite the fact that the MQM had provided the law enforcers with ample clues about the criminals.
Senior Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq said the MQM should opt for some other issue if it wished to indulge in some politicking. Khwaja Izhar asked whether putting capability of the institutions concerned to question was politics.
This made the MQM stage a walk out from the house, a move made Pir Mazhar drawing attention of the house towards the MQM’s opposition to a resolution against terrorism. He said it must be put on record that the MQM was opposing a move against terrorism.
Subsequently, the MQM lawmakers returned to the house to pass a joint resolution with the treasury to condemn the tragic incident.
Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza was the one who talked about Abbas Town tragedy at length saying the post-blast mayhem in the city had made rescue activities in hospitals more problematic.
“It is not our tradition to manhandle women at hospitals,” she said.
Terming it a conspiracy Raza said the victims included 19 people from Khairpur, two from Gilgit-Baltistan and the rest from Karachi.
Without naming any one, the deputy speaker called upon political parties to do away with hypocrisy at least when the issue of terrorism was being discussed.
Raza said snorkels and rescue operators reached the blast spot immediately, but some miscreants killed four policemen in the Sachal Police Station limits and had blocked the road for public movement.
She also blasted the miscreants for carrying out arson attacks on Superhighway during the funeral procession of Abbas Town blasts.
She complained that the victims and their families had to undergo many obstacles after the blast to receive medical treatment at hospitals.
PPP lawmaker Jam Tamachi Unhar regretted the continued unrest in the city saying political reconciliation between MQM and PPP had failed to improve the law and order.
MQM lawmakers Faisal Sabzwari and Khwaja Izharul Hassan condemned terrorism in Abbas Town appealing to the nation to support the families of victims.
Earlier, the lawmakers from the two divides paid tribute to PPP’s Rafique Engineer with Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah tabling a resolution to express the house’s deep grief over the tragic demise of the PPP lawmaker.
Speaker Nisar Khuhro adjourned the house till Thursday.