Another day wasted: Opposition tries to bring up Thar issue, Shehla Raza shuts them down

Deputy speaker insisted issue was not maintainable as it had already been discussed last week

KARACHI: Friday's Sindh Assembly session was waste of yet another day as members of the opposition and the treasury bickered over the Thar issue.

The drama began when Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Sorath Thebo attempted to move an adjournment motion on Thar that had been discussed in the House last week. Before giving Thebo a chance to read her adjournment motion, deputy speaker Shehla Raza said, "We have already discussed this issue, so it is not maintainable. I term it out of order."

Thebo cried foul on the deputy speaker's attitude. "I want to say some words about [the] Thar tragedy," said Thebo but Raza ordered that her microphone be switched off. "This House has consumed one week to discuss this issue," she said. "It is my prerogative whether to kill this adjournment at my office or in this House."

Opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hasan and opposition MPAs belonging to all the parties stood up and protested against the speaker's attitude. "We know [the deputy] speaker's power but you at least allow her to read [the] adjournment motion," said Hasan. "Under which rule have you dismissed [the] adjournment motion without hearing a member," he repeated thrice. Raza asked senior minister Nisar Khuhro to say something. "I can only speak if you maintain order in this House," Khuhro responded.

Sensing her failure to control the chaos, Raza adjourned the session for 10 minutes. After the 10-minute break, Raza returned as a politer woman. "I thought you read it [adjournment motion] that was why I called your adjournment motion out of order," she told Thebo. "Please read it."

The PML-N MPA read her motion and tried to speak on it but was not allowed. This led to another heated debate. Eventually, the session was adjourned till Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2016.