Political bias? Opposition to take up motion against speaker

KARACHI:

The opposition members have decided to take up in the Sindh Assembly session today the censure motion tabled against speaker Agha Siraj Durrani.

Meanwhile, some ministers of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) held a meeting on the issue to turn down the opposition's censure motion.

The joint opposition members belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz and Pakistan Muslim League - Functional (PML-F), in their motion, alleged that Durrani had flouted the assembly rules by favouring treasury members during Friday's session.

They protested in the session when the speaker overlooked the opposition's majority votes and made a decision on government business, even though there was little attendance on the treasury benches. "The speaker should be a custodian of the House and should have no affiliation with any party but Durrani, in the last session, acted as a PPP leader," accused PML-F parliamentary member Nand Kumar.

Kumar said that they, along with other opposition members, will raise the issue during today's session. Senior minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro accused the opposition parties of having no other agenda and making an issue of petty things for media publicity.

"The censure motion is against the rules and cannot be taken up," said Khuhro, who is also the minister for parliamentary affairs.

Other items on the agenda include a resolution pertaining to the Daraza incident that claimed more than 12 lives during the local government polls in Khairpur Mirs.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2015.