Sindh Assembly proceedings: IT minister suggests giving CDGK control over traffic police

MPA caught talking between speeches talks back to deputy speaker.

KARACHI:

The city’s traffic police should be given under the control of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), suggested the minister for information technology.

During the Sindh Assembly session on Wednesday, IT Minister Raza Haroon, who belongs to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), said that there is no discipline in traffic management and the police are busy minting money, instead of removing traffic congestion.

“Our city wardens, appointed by the CDGK, manage the traffic during Ramzan, despite limited resources,” he pointed out. “The government should review the traffic system and hand it over to the city government.”

Clarifying the party’s stance on agriculture tax, Haroon said that they do not want to impose tax on agriculture, but on its income. “Some friends have misunderstood us. We oppose agriculture tax too, but [we demand that] all the people who earn more than Rs350,000 should come in the tax net,” he said.

In response, Revenue Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar said that those who oppose government policies only want to get cheap publicity through the media.

Scuffle between deputy speaker, MPA

The session started at around 10:30 am with deputy speaker Shahla Raza in the chair. Surprisingly, only six of the 168 MPAs were present. Expressing her displeasure over the lawmakers’ lack of punctuality, Raza told the secretary, “Let’s start the session”.

But this was not all as several MPAs talked among themselves during the budget speeches. “I want to know where your seat is and why you are sitting with another MPA,” she asked Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Javeed Shah.

Shah did not take the criticism well and replied in a harsh tone that, “I am not making noise but I have come here to sit with my friends. Why do you always ask me to keep quiet?”

“You don’t have manners to talk to a female speaker. You are a legislator and you are supposed to listen to the business of the house. If you are interested in gossiping than please go out of the house,” she replied.

As the house echoed with shouts of “shame, shame”, Law Minister Ayaz Soomro and Power Minister Shazia Marri stepped up to pacify the deputy speaker.

Opposition lashes out

Opposition members lashed out against the government for either appointing their own people on the 80,000 job vacancies or selling the posts.

Pakistan Muslim League — Functional MPA Nusrat Seher Abbasi said that, “instead of providing relief to the people, black laws are being passed in the assembly just to appease those government officials who are related to members of the ruling party”. Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said that he can prove that all jobs were given on merit.

Ashamed that no one from the ruling party appears to be interested in catching Benazir Bhutto’s killers, Abbasi said that people want to see the government implement its slogan of ‘Benazir ayegi, inquilaab layegi’ (Benazir will bring a revolution). The president announced that he is aware of who the killers are, she pointed out. “You are betraying your voters,” she said.

At this, Memon demanded Abbasi apologise for her remarks. “She has breached the privilege of this house,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abbasi felt that instead of congratulating the finance minister on announcing the budget, “we should discuss the budget proposals”. According to her, Sindh generates Rs1,300 billion revenue each year but it only receives Rs200 billion of it. Instead of criticising the previous regime, she advised the government to work hard to end the hegemony of the federal government by breaking its “financial one unit”.

Town hit by floods

PPP MPA Imran Zaffar Leghari, who belongs to Khairpur Nathan Shah, said that his town was completely destroyed in the floods but no packages for it were announced in the budget. “All the irrigation networks have been damaged but repairs have yet to start,” he said.

Meanwhile, the law minister listed the government’s achievements from the past three years - 75 bills, 113 ordinances and 181 drafts were passed by the Sindh Assembly.

A total of 15 members took part in the budget discussion on Wednesday. Senior Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq said that 115 members had participated in the budget discussion since June 13. On Thursday (today), the chief minister, leaders of the joint opposition and parliamentary leaders from different parties would conclude the discussion.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd,  2011.