Calls for devising a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy echoed in the politically-divided Sindh Assembly where lawmakers from two divides of the house scored political points against each other in the name of general discussion on Budget 2013-2014.
The 168-member PPP-dominated house saw MQM’s Dr Sagheer Ahmed blaming its former allies from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for political victimisation of its workers some 650 of whom were behind the bars and facing extra judicial killing, a hard-worded verbal clash between Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza and MQM legislators leading to the former’s walkout, the legislators from Lyari lashing out at ‘third persons’ for interfering in Lyari and identifying the ‘mother of Karachi’ with defamatory names like ‘gang war’ and so on.
Syed Sardar Ahmed, MQM’s deputy parliamentary leader in the house, underlined different facts and figures indicating that there was no tax on agriculture income in the province where, according to Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro, over 70 percent of people were depending on farming for sustenance.
TALK TO MILITANTS
PML-N lawmaker Irfanullah Marwat, who said the budget was all but tax-free as various new services have been taxed, dubbed terrorism a regional menace that, he said, required the government to adopt a pragmatic approach of negotiating with the militants. “If the US can talk to Taliban after 12 years of war, why can’t we,” he said, referring to the recently established Taliban’s office in Qatar. Rejecting the construction of Kalabagh Dam as unacceptable, Marwat said the menace of targeted killings in Karachi could only be tackled through unmasking the killers who were in jail having conceded their crime.
“You ready to call the criminal a criminal and the issue of targeted killing is resolved,” the PML-N leader said who also urged the Sindh government not to allow the center decide the tariff of its natural resources like Thar coal.
Flaying the KESC and KWSB for making the life of Karachiites miserable, Marwat said the former had kept its plants idol and was getting 650MW of power from the national grid. Calling the transport system in Karachi as ‘pathetic’, the PML-N lawmaker said his side would support the government for bringing an anti-Kalabagh Dam resolution in the house. “Even if you say we would table the resolution,” he said.
COUNTER-TERRORISM POLICY
Dr Sagheer Ahmed of the MQM, whose extended hour-long speech stirred a verbal clash between Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza and Leader of Opposition Faisal Sabzwari eventuating into the MQM’s walkout, called for the adoption of an effective ‘counter-terrorism policy’ to deal with the menace of terrorism.
The MQM, he said, had lost three MPAs and thousands of its workers to the menace. “All political elements, Pakistan and Islam are under threat,” he said, adding since May 11, the polling day, over 70 MQM workers were killed. “Those talking of negotiating with terrorists should know that one day this monster would reach them,” he warned.
MQM BLAMES PPP FOR POLITICAL VICTIMISATION
The MQM lawmaker also claimed that unlike PPP’s claim the political victimisation of its workers was rampant in the province. “Some 650 of our political workers are currently in jails and facing extra judicial murder.”
Calling for rescheduling of election date that leaves newly-elected government without enough time to give its input in the ensuing budget, the former health minister reminded Qaim Ali Shah that he was the chief minister of entire province and not the PPP only.
Earlier, Imtiaz Sheikh of the PML-F had also complained of political victimisation of his party workers, especially in Khairpur District, the constituency of the chief minister.
MQM STAGES WALKOUT
The chair saw red when the MQM lawmaker did not seem ready to conclude his speech after the span of almost an hour. “Let him conclude in decent manner,” Faisal Sabzwari, MQM legislator and Leader of the Opposition, asked the deputy speaker who was not ready to give more time. “You have no right to dictate me,” Sabzwari told Shehla who insisted that she could dictate to ensure the house business run as per rules of procedures.
“Don’t be personal,” were the final words Dr Sagheer uttered and then left the house along with fellow lawmakers. The MQM legislators, however, returned shortly after Nisar Khuhro, Law Minister Sikandar Mandhro and other PPP members went to persuade them.
JUDGES AFRAID TO HEAR MAY 12 CASE
In response to Dr Sagheer’s hard-worded speech, Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said PPP, the party of Benazir Bhutto, never had a belief in political victimisation. Rather, he claimed, his party was being discriminated against judicially. “Only three hearings of May 12 case have been conducted in the past six years. Why? Because the judges are afraid,” he claimed. He said the chief justice was himself a witness to the deadly incidents of May 12, but the judiciary was only interested in taking up the NRO case leaving high profile cases like that of Asghar Khan unattended.
ACCOUNTING BUDGET
Urging the need for making democracy as ‘participatory’, Sardar Ahmed of the MQM termed the budget as ‘accounting budget’ which was not based on performance and was prepared in the decades-old manner in terms of format or substance. Calling for the withdrawal of new taxes that he said would fetch nominal revenue for the government but impact the masses adversely, Ahmed claimed that no or little taxes were being paid on account of agriculture income in the province.
He said while only Rs 452 million were accumulatively collected as land, agriculture and water taxes up to May 2013 against a huge expenditure of Rs 4 billion the provincial government had incurred in 2012 only.
About the budget, the MQM leader urged the government to “make it tax-free”.
JUSTIFIED TAXES
Law Minister Dr Sikander Mandhro softly rejected the suggestion for withdrawal of the taxes imposed in the new budget saying these were justified taxes levied only on those who could afford it. Given the ongoing global recessionary climate, he said the budget was a good fiscal plan prepared keeping in view available resources of the province which was facing a war-like situation.
He also clarified to the detractors that a deficit budget was never a bad budget as it generates economic activity, in the terms of savings and spending, in the country or province concerned.
To ensure transparency and make the budget participatory a departmental review after every three months would be conducted when the departments concerned would brief the respective standing committee on the expenditures it made during the specified period.
KARACHI GANG WAR
Earlier, the lawmakers from Lyari, Javed Nagori and Sanya Naz Baloch, bid to present a soft image of their constituency that, they warned, must not be identified with negative nomenclatures like gang war.
Backed by her desk-thumping PPP fellows, Naz warned given the current defamation spree against Lyari she could also aptly use words like “Karachi gang war”. “Lyari would be peaceful if third persons stop interfering in it,” said the lawmaker who also questioned PTI’s Dr Seema Zia, without naming her, as to why her party had so far not converted the CM and Governor’s Houses in KPK into schools. She slammed Dr Seema saying those living in London and Canada could never have an idea what the plight of poor was.
Nagori claimed that 1.7 million Lyariites were being discriminated against in employment and even in residence in the city. He attributed the outbreak of gang wars in Lyari to a conspiracy hatched by those sitting on the shoulders of a dictator to establish their stronghold in the impoverished neighborhood.
PML-F FOR SECURITY PLAN
Criticizing the government on bad governance, lack of merit and a poor law and order, Imtiaz Sheikh of PML-F demanded of the PPP government to bring in for the house’s perusal a 6-month security plan to curb the deteriorating law and order in the province, especially in Karachi.
BUDGET PASSAGE ON SATURDAY
Others who spoke included Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro, Dr Rafique Bhambhan, Muhammad Ali Bhutto, Shah Hussain Shirazi, Dr Khattoomal, Dr Seema Zia, Fayaz Bhutto, Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Faseh Shah, Muhammad Nawaz Chandio, Mehrunnisa and Tariq Maqsood Araen.
According to the law minister, over a hundred lawmakers had participated in the budget discussion that would continue today, Friday, when the house would reassemble under the chairmanship of Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani at 9:30am.
The house would pass the budget on Saturday after leader of the opposition and leader of the house will deliver their speeches on Friday.