PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly adopted a resolution on Thursday against the federal government’s decision to shift the head office of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from Karachi to Islamabad. The resolution was moved by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Nida Khuhro and signed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) MPAs.
“The federal government has already victimised Sindh by not giving due share in National Finance Commission (NFC) Award and other resources, now they want to shift PIA head office from Karachi. We condemn this decision and will not allow anyone to make the decision,” said Khuhro. “Karachi is the economic hub and largest city of Pakistan. The head office is established since PIA was launched. We want to know the reasons behind relocating the head office to Islamabad,” she added.
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MQM-P’s Kanwar Naveed Jameel, supporting the resolution, said that it was a Karachiite who had initially purchase a plane and gifted it to PIA to launch the airline.
MQM-P’s Javed Hanif said that the discrimination against Karachi started when its citizens rejected Ayub Khan and voted in favour of Fatima Jinnah. “Ayub Khan thought that people of Karachi are against him. So, he first moved the capital from Karachi to Islamabad and later the one-unit was imposed in Pakistan.”
Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani said that they would protest at every forum and resist against the decision. Abdul Rasheed of MMA, condemning the decision, said, “It will further create problems.”
After speeches, the resolution was passed unanimously as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members were not present in the House.
Opposition walkout
Opposition parties protested and tore the copies of agenda after Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani’s dismissal of the privilege motion moved by PTI’s parliamentary leader Haleem Adil Sheikh against provincial manager of Sindh AIDS Control Programme, Dr Younus Chachar.
Moving his privilege motion, Sheikh said, “The doctor misbehaved with me and passed improper and abusive remarks against me during a press conference in Hyderabad. I have evidence including a video of the act with me. I am a member of this House and he has breached my privilege.”
The speaker sought parliamentary minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla’s reaction and said, “What is government’s stand on it. Are you supporting or opposing the privilege motion.” Chawla responded, “We opposed it. We will consider his privilege motion when he produces the video in this House.”
Sheikh, diverting from the relevant discussion on the privilege motion, lamented on the poor performance of the AIDS control programme. The speaker, preventing him from the speech, said, “Please stop and listen to me. First of all you have to convince this House, under the rules of Assembly, that your privilege motion can be heard in this House.”
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Sheikh, seeming confused on the rules of the House, attempted to quote some rules, for which some senior members of the Opposition lent him a helping hand. However, the speaker said, “I have heard you. Now, please listen to my ruling on it. It is against rules and the motion can’t be taken up.”
At this, the Opposition members, excluding MPAs of MMA and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), stood up from their seats. Some Opposition members sitting in the front row tore copies of the agenda and shouted slogans against government. “This is discrimination against us,” Sheikh claimed and asked members of his party to stage a token walk out. Later, they left the House.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2019.
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