Uproar in Sindh Assembly as PPP MPA admits to horse-trading

Fourth day of post-budget session saw two walkouts by opposition

KARACHI: Days after the controversy over horse-trading in the last Senate elections when lawmakers were accused of selling their votes, Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Nawab Taimur Talpur finally let the cat out of the bag when he admitted in the provincial assembly that his party had indulged in horse-trading.

On the fourth day of the post-budget session, Talpur criticised members of the opposition for lashing out at the PPP’s policies. “They [opposition] are talking about corruption, loyalty and governance,” he began. “We know about your credibility. I personally know one of your opposition members who sold his vote in the last Senate election. He is still sitting on the opposition benches.”

The statement seemed to irk the opposition members. Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) MPA Nusrat Seher Abbasi shouted from her seat,” The PPP MPA has himself admitted to horse-trading in the House.”

Talpur, who is the son of PPP MNA Nawab Yousuf Talpur, then lashed out at Abbasi. “Stop plying the devil’s game. You will be able to get the reserved seat for women again,” he quipped. This created uproar in the House, with members of the treasury and opposition screaming at each other.

Talpur, however, continued his speech and pointing a finger at Abbasi, said, “She is crying now, but I want to disclose here that it is the PPP that has given a government job to Abbasi’s husband.”

All hell seem to break lose over the latest statement and after a heated exchange with the treasury members, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and GDA lawmakers walked out of the session. Deputy Speaker Rehana Leghari, who was chairing the session, directed Talpur to stick to the budget, but the damage had already been done.

Speaking to the media outside, GDA and PTI lawmakers appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of Talpur’s speech about horse-trading.  “Taimur Talpur has admitted on the floor of the assembly how he and his party have indulged in horse-trading. There must be action against them,” said Abbasi, rebutting the statement about her husband’s job with the Sindh government.  “He should be ashamed for leveling allegations against women. We will prefer to die before taking incentives from the PPP.”

PTI’s Haleem Adil Shaikh said it was the PPP lawmakers who had caused the uproar in the House and the opposition would not let the chief minister speak on the floor. “We are now waiting for chief minister’s turn,” he said, adding that they will provide a video clip of Talpur’s speech to the election commission for punitive action.

The Sindh Assembly session, which commenced at 10:40am and continued till 6:10pm, saw two walkouts by opposition members. The first  was against Talpur’s remarks while the second was against the speech of PPP’s Shehla Raza, the Sindh Minister for Women Development. According to the speaker’s ruling, each member, with the exception of the chief minister and the opposition leader, would be allotted 10 minutes to speak on the budget. Raza’s speech lasted an hour and 10 minutes. She continued speaking despite the speaker’s constant reminders to wind up. Very little was said about the budget, with Raza focusing instead on criticising the federal government and the opposition parties in the Sindh Assembly. “The PTI, in one month, has taken more than a dozen U-turns,” she remarked.

“Mr Speaker, it looks like you set the ten minute rule only for the opposition,” said one member of the opposition. Opposition leader Firdous Shamim Navqi and other MPAs from PTI, MQM and GDA cried foul over giving more time to Raza, terming it discrimination. They left the house in protest, only to return after a few minutes.

Earlier as the session started, GDA MPA Ali Gohar Mahar raised the issue of industrial effluents from Punjab being disposed of in fertile land in Ghotki. “The PPP is criticising the federal government and Punjab for diverting water from River Indus, while influential persons in the Sindh government are diverting the water by digging out canals. The tail-enders are crying, but no one listens to them,” he said.

PTI’s Khurrm Sher Zaman, in his speech, focused on corruption and referred to the auditor general’s report, which has highlight mismanagement of billions of rupees. “Around Rs6.8 billion were earmarked for transport, but unfortunately the PPP government has done nothing in this sector in the last ten years.”

Zaman went on to say that the provincial education department had even failed to spend its budget in the last fiscal year and Rs211 billion have been allocated for it this year too. “Schools in Sindh lack toilets and drinking water facilities. Where does this money go?” he questioned, suggesting the members to visit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has now become a role model in the education sector.

According to Zaman, his party’s former MPA Samar Ali Khan was willing to work on 250 government schools, but PPP MNA Faryal Talpur alias Adi had created hindrances for him by not allowing to initiate the development work. “Now Adi is in this House. She must defend herself and refute the allegations,” he said.

Minister for Minorities Affairs Hari Ram, Sohail Anwar Siyal, Nusrat Seher Abbasi and Shaharyar Mahar also spoke on the budget. The session was adjourned till today (Friday).

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2018.