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.
The nationalists in Sindh and minority parties are protesting at the behest of agencies and are bound to do that for their very survival. It is high time that resources be allocated to local bodies every where in big cities to help some development by representatives of the local population. Alternatively all the money ends up into ministers and member parliaments pockets, leaving only empty promises for common resident.
@ Pathan
I watched Peeljo junior last night on the tele. He had a forceful argument and their protest is about the inequity that this ordinance is bringing to the native Sindhis' and creating pockets of ethnicity to the fore which must be resisted.
It appears PPP under Zardari is bound to destroy Sindh and Sindhis and the unity of Pakistan.
Please note I am not a Sindhi and I do not have any contact with the parties opposing the ordinance. I am sitting thousands of miles away out of Pakistan and this is my very unbiased and unpolluted view
Democratically elected representatives of Sindh have voted overwhelmingly in favor of the LG Bill and passed it in line with the democratic principles. Anyone making hue and cry against it is strictly a minority. Congratulations to sons and daughters of Sindh belonging to its cities, towns and villages on the historic milestone in the history of Sindh. The local government system is what solves the problems of people. You have seen people’s issues and development issues have not been addressed since they had scrapped the LG System. All of us denounce the Wadera system now why is it we oppose LG System? We hate the Waderas but have never protested against them once. Why? Is it because we are afraid of them or is it our desire to be subservient. It is about time to break the shackles and declare freedom. Time to think independently what is good for us and what is good for the landed class.
PPP under Zardari has delivered to MQM the dream of a seperate province and the division of Sind just to save his corruption of billions of dollars and prolong his hold on to power.
President Zardari could not have dreamed to become President if BB was not martyred and if Sindhis would not have given him a clear and heavy mandate. a mandate with which the PPP could have formed the government in Sindh without support from any other party.
Zardari chose to pursue a policy of reconciliation and took MQM on board which behaved as an opposition party all along its presence in the coalition. Asif Zardari totally ignored his Sindhi voters and pursued a policy of appeasement and I would say a policy of capitulation before Altaf Hussain. MQM got every thing they demanded but Sindhi folk got nothing. There were heavy flood a year ago and again around this time but no sincere help from the government. No jobs for Sindhis. Schools neglected. Colleges decaying and no new industries.
The MQM has all along behaving as if it owns Karachi and has been projecting itself as a sole stake holder of Karachi. Mustafa Kamal was thrusted on Karachi who played havoc with traditional old sindhi goths and demolished them on the pretext of beautifying Karachi. The billions were spent and Asif Zardari exempted Mustafa Kamal from audit.
The doors of educational institutions and multinational companies were closed for Sindhis.
Sindhis never imagined Zardari will go that far and handover Karachi to MQM. The passage of SLGO in the provinicial assembly was a facade. Zardari thought as if Sindh was his private property and he could do anything he liked. It was utterly disgusting that the speaker of the assembly got SLGO passed within the shortest possible time.
Zardai has let Sindhis down and hopefully he will be punished by Sindhis by not voting him in future elections.
There is still a ray of hope and that is the SCP. I sincerely hope the CJP will strike it down once this bill is challenged by the leaders of Sindh.
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