The Sindh Assembly session on Monday saw the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) led opposition and the aggrieved Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) come on the same page on the government’s lukewarm response to the persisting poor law and order situation in the metropolis.
The day witnessed Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza reassembling the provincial legislature to condole, per the rules of procedure of the Sindh Assembly, the killing of MQM lawmaker Manzar Imam who was killed in an armed attack last month.
The only formal business for the day was the oath-taking by Syed Sarfaraz Shah, the newly-elected MPA from Naushero Feroz, who was administered oath by the chair.
PML-F leaders Nusrat Seher Bano Abbasi and Rana Abdul Sattar took on their former coalition partners in the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) led provincial government for their failure to protect the life of around 6,000 people who, Abbasi claimed, lost their lives to incidents of targeted killings in the city during the last five years.
Backed by MQM legislator Bilquees Mukhtar, the opposition lawmakers said that not offering “Fatehas” but practical measures should be taken by the government to stop the ever-increasing incidents of targeted killings in the violence-hit city.
The speech of Rana did not go down well with Law Minister Ayaz Soomro who doubted the PML-F leader for politicking and said the PML-F leader should deliver his speech in his constituency and not in the provincial assembly which was in session only to condole the demise of one of its 183 members.
However, this did not deter the opposition lawmakers who urged the legislature and the executive in Sindh to stand up against violence and those responsible for it in the metropolis.
They said the government should take some serious steps to at least give the lawmakers some face saving in the eyes of their voters as the general elections draw nearer. Rana said that enough “Fateha” prayers had been offered by the house for thousands victimised by the cold-blooded violence that had been holding the city in its grip since a long time.
Citing interior Sindh as an example, the PML-F legislators said that across-the-board de-weaponization drive was needed in this hour to give a chance to peace in the highly volatile city.
The MQM lawmakers including Sardar Ahmed, Dr Sagheer Ahmed, Faisal Sabzwari, Heer Soho, Bilquees Mukhtar and Haseeb Khan, also voiced their concern over increasing incidents of violence in the city as they paid rich tribute to their slain party fellow. They called upon the government, of which they had been an integral part, to take practical measures to deal with the threat of terrorism that was haunting the financial hub of Pakistan.
The house saw a brief argument between Culture Minister Sassui Palijo and MQM’s Sardar Ahmed and Faisal Sabzwari when the latter opposed a resolution tabled by the former to pay homage to Sindhi intellectual Sirajulhaq Memon who passed away last week.
Sassui showed disagreement when the MQM lawmakers insisted no formal business would be conducted during the condolence sitting. While the PPP minister looked determined to further press her point, the deputy speaker put her weight behind the MQM saying that the day of mourning was not meant for business apart from offering condolence.
Other MPAs who spoke in remembrance of Manzar Imam included PPP’s Rafique Engineer, Jam Mehtab Dahar, Anwar Mahar, Saleem Khursheed Khokhar, Nadeem Bhutto, Akhtar Jadoon, Bachal Shah, Aga Siraj Durrani and Awami National Party’s (ANP) Amir Nawab Khan.
Besides, prayers were also offered for former Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leaders Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Prof Ghafoor Ahmed, ANP’s slain leader Bashir Bilour, Sindhi intellectual Sirajulhaq Memon, former Balochistan chief minister Jam Yusuf and the victims of Quetta and Swat explosions. The chair later adjourned the session till Wednesday for 10am to concentrate on other businesses relating to the agenda.
