PA agenda disrupted as MQM-P, PTI lawmakers protest against water shortage in Karachi

A vociferous protest by opposition legislators once again marred the proceedings of the Sindh Assembly on Friday as the House could take up only a few items on the day’s agenda.

The opposition legislators resorted to loud protests after their request to discuss the issue of shortage of potable water in Karachi was denied. Lawmakers belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) did not listen to the speaker who asked them to sit down.

The chaos started when Muhammad Hussain Khan, a legislator of the MQM-P, sought permission from Speaker Agha Siraj Khan Durrani to speak on the issue of water shortage in the city. As the speaker did not approve his request, other opposition MPAs stood from their seats in reaction and started protesting.

Durrani used three languages — English, Urdu and Sindhi —to advise the opposition legislators against protesting in the House but to no avail. He said he would let the opposition MPAs to speak on their issues after the question hour but the Opposition MPAs resorted to sloganeering as they encircled the rostrum of the speaker during the protest.

The leader of the opposition, Haleem Adil Shaikh, who belongs to the PTI, said water issue had been persisting in the entire province and people in Karachi had to desperately search for water for their daily needs. He said Sindh should get rid of people involved in the water theft.

The pandemonium in the House compelled the speaker to adjourn the session for 10 minutes. When the house reassembled, the opposition legislators of the PTI and the MQM-P resumed the protest.

During the protest, the speaker objected to the unauthorised use of mobile phones by the opposition legislators for filming their agitation. Durrani warned the MPAs that he might impose a complete ban on the use of mobile phones in the legislature.

Call-attention notice

Sindh Education and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani assured the House that annual examinations of the educational boards in the province would be held this year in accordance with the schedule earlier announced for the purpose given that the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic did not worsen.

He said this while responding to a call-attention notice of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) MPA Syed Abdul Rasheed. Ghani said the meeting of the education ministers of all the provinces had decided that the board examinations would be held this year only for the elective subjects. He added that Sindh had decided to curtail the timing of every exam session from three to two hours.

Speaking on his call-attention notice, the MMA MPA said the educational system in the province had been affected much due to the prevailing situation of coronavirus. He said no viable online system existed in Sindh for imparting education in the province.

Bill passed

Amid the opposition’s protest, the House also hurriedly passed through a majority vote the Sindh Evacuee Trust Properties (Management and Disposal) Bill 2019.

The proposed Sindh Evacuee Trust Board, as envisaged in the newly passed bill, would consist of 12 members whose chairman would be appointed by the chief minister. Later, the speaker adjourned the session till June 7.