Sindh Assembly session: CM says Thar tragedy a conspiracy against his government

Syed Qaim Ali Shah will reveal the 'hidden hand' behind the conspiracy today.

KARACHI: Sindh chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, in his brief speech during the Sindh Assembly session on Monday, dismissed the Thar tragedy as a 'conspiracy against the Sindh government'.

The proclamation came on the very same day that seven more deaths were reported in the area where around 175 people are reported to have died over the last three months. "I will reveal the hidden hands behind the conspiracy today (Tuesday)," he said, confidently.

The short speech was in response to the insistence by the Mutthida Qaumi Movement legislators to admit an adjournment motion on the Tharparkar crisis. As the session started with speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in the chair, MQM MPA Poonjo Mal was given the chance to take up his adjournment motion on the Thar issue.

The MPA, who hails from Tharparkar district, tried in vain to convince the assembly about the famine, deaths and outbreak of diseases in the area but the government's ministers opposed the motion, declaring it 'technically unfit'. "We have no objection in discussing the issue but one should follow the rules," said Dr Sikandar Mandhro, the minister for parliamentary affairs. "This adjournment motion is not specific. It talks about several issues, including the deaths of children, diseases, famine and loss of livestock. It therefore violates the rules and we will oppose it."

He added that the government wanted to move its own motion to give each MPA a chance to speak on the issue. "The debate will be concluded by the chief minister who has witnessed the ground realities and will brief the house about the government's efforts to deal with the situation."

This seemed to irk the MQM MPAs who wanted to take up their adjournment motion that they had tabled around two weeks ago. The leader of the opposition, Faisal Subzwari, emphatically pleaded the assembly take up the motion. "Please do not go into the jugglery of words and rules. Thar is also part of Sindh where the drought has wreaked havoc. We request you to adjourn all other proceedings and start a debate on this serious issue, irrespective of minor mistakes in the motion."

Poonjo Mal, meanwhile, attempted to speak on the admissibility of the motion, quoting the rules and procedures in its favour, but senior minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, information minister Sharjeel Memon and the speaker termed it out of order. Later, Dr Mandhro tabled a motion to start a debate on the Thar crisis today (Tuesday).

Maqsood Qureshi's murder

MPAs of the ruling and opposition parties demanded the government start a judicial inquiry into the double murder of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) leaders who were shot dead on Friday night. Sharjeel Memon said that the government will conduct an impartial inquiry into the incident.

Separately, MQM MPA Deewan Chand Chawala again raised the issue of the Larkana riots. "I want to know what kind of action has been taken against the culprits and what is being done to protect the Hindus living in the district." The speaker, Durrani, responded to his queries by saying that former President Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had taken notice of the incident and resolved the issue.

PML N leaders' grievances against prime minister

Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentary leader in Sindh Assembly, Irfanullah Marwat, complained that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had no time for his party in Sindh. Speaking to media after the session, Marwat said the prime minister is not giving them any time despite repeated requests. "Balochistan-like situation is being created in Sindh. The government should take notice of it," he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2014.