Talk of ethno-linguistic bias agitates members

The Sindh Assembly (SA) on Thursday turned into a fish market as provincial lawmakers from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) engaged in a heated debate over the pros and cons of introducing a uniform education system in the province.
However, the argument that lasted for at least a half hour could not grab the attention of Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, who, when asked by SA Speaker Nisar Khuhro to comment on the disputed resolution tabled by PPP’s Saleem Khursheed Khokhar, surprised the house by saying the resolution was all about wearing school uniforms.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry, it says to implement, so it’s about the system,” mumbled Soomro when he focused on the private resolution.
The last day of the current session saw PPP’s Khokhar and Shazia Marri hurling, what Rafique Engineer said, personal and non-parliamentary remarks at each other when Marri lambasted Khokhar for tabling a resolution without doing his homework.
“We are public representatives and it is a greater responsibility, so no member can bring a resolution in this house until he/she has researched,” said an irritated Marri.
Khokhar’s resolution, calling for implementation of a uniform education system in the province, also brought Sindh Katchi Abadis Minister Rafique Engineer and MQM lawmakers eyeball to eyeball when Engineer, in response to Sardar Ahmed’s statement, claimed that Lyariites and Sindhis from interior Sindh are being refused admission in Karachi’s educational institutions.
With MQM lawmakers on their feet and objecting talk of ethno-linguistic bias, Engineer claimed that the people of his constituency (Lyari) are also not being granted house building finances.
This made MQM’s Deputy Parliamentary Leader in SA Faisal Sabzwari inform him that no such bias existed and asked him to avoid election campaigning in the house.
However, Khuhro defused the situation by asking Khokhar to withdraw his ill-prepared resolution, which he did.
The day also saw Sindh Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah and other lawmakers lamenting for having failed to form Rules of Procedures for SA that, they said, were still running under the 1973-made rules made by the then Sindh governor.
Khuhro appeared helpless, asking, “How will it happen?” Four years have elapsed, and the standing committee concerned is yet to act in accordance with Sub-section (1) of Article 67 of the constitution calling for constituting provincial assemblies’ own Rules of Procedures.
“Unfortunately, since 1973, we have not formed our rules,” lamented Shah, who ultimately succeeded in preventing an apparently resisting Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the National People’s Party from moving his motion for, what Shah said, further amending the governor’s rules.
By adopting a private resolution of MQM’s Adil Khan, the house called upon the provincial government to “approach the federal government to direct the multinational coal exploration companies to comply with the agreements regarding employment of local people in their organisations in Sindh province and bound them for development of Tharparkar”.
Moreover, a resolution of Anwar Maher called for immediate measures by the Sindh government for ensuring availability of drinking water in New Pindi, Micro Colony, and Islam Colony 1 and 2 of Sukkur.
After a brief debate, the house referred a third resolution of MQM’s Syed Khalid Ahmed wanting the provincial government to evolve a concessionary travel scheme to issue the country’s elders (aged 60 and above) “freedom passes” that would allow them free travel.
However, the resolution was referred to the standing committee on transportation when the speaker, backed by lawmakers like Sardar Ahmed and SA Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, said the ill-defined draft was unfeasible
“Our planes and railway are already in a poor state, and even the developed countries do not provide such an incentive,” said the deputy speaker.
Finally, the speaker of the house prorogued the assembly for an indefinite time period.