‘Provincial Assembly likely to be adjourned’

MQM likely to withdraw adjournment motion on petroleum price hike: Officials.

KARACHI: The session of Sindh Assembly that will open today (on Friday) is likely to be adjourned after offering fateha for slain Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, according to officials.

Meanwhile, according to the assembly agenda, the adjournment motion tabled by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) against the price hike of petroleum products will be discussed in the session.

The motion was submitted by the party’s MPAs Khalid Ahmed, Adil Khan, Heer Ismail Soho, Aleemur Rehman, Tahir Qureshi and Shoaib Ibrahim on Tuesday. However, officials say the motion will be withdrawn by the party following the announcement by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to undo the petroleum price-hike decision on Thursday.

Officials also revealed that the leave application of former Sindh chief minister Dr Arbab Ghualm Rahim is also on the agenda.

The privilege motion of Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Najamuddin Abro is also on the assembly’s agenda.

Meanwhile, officials reveal that an important bill regarding the restoration of the commissionerate system was top priority for the session, but due to the differences between the coalition partners in the Sindh government, it has been dropped from the agenda of the house.

The Removal of Encroachment (amendment) Ordinance 2010-11, Sindh Zakat Ordinance 2010 are also on the agenda along with a question-and-answer session of the ministry of tourism, antiquities and Auqaf, but these items will be deferred till the next day, officials said.

The Sindh Assembly has to complete 100 days during its third parliamentary year, which comes to an end in April 2011. But during the proceedings, it has only completed 60 days.

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) has also submitted an adjournment motion against the education and literacy department for discontinuing services of 7,187 contract employees.

Meanwhile, a complete report of Sindh Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for the years 2003 to 2005 will be submitted any time during the days of the present session.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Sindh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee chairman Jam Tamachi Unar said that he has sent the report for binding and will present in the assembly within three to four days.

The PAC will also lay down the appropriation accounts of different departments of the Sindh government for the years 2005 till 2009 before initiating the audit for those years.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2011.