Sindh Assembly honours those killed during MRD

GDA MPA reminds house it wasn’t just PPP workers who laid down lives for democracy

KARACHI: Sindh Assembly witnessed uproar in the house on Tuesday as the provincial government set aside the assembly’s agenda and allowed a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA to table a resolution after the question-answer session. MPA Ghulam Qadir Chandio requested Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani to allow for a resolution to pay tribute to 16 persons who laid down their lives for the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) during General Ziaul Haq’s tenure. Durrani allowed for the resolution to pass and chaos ensued.

The opposition erupted with slogans of “shame shame,” shouted “no-no,” and “go-go”. It was private members’ day on Tuesday and MPAs were scheduled to move private resolutions and bills. However, earning the ire of the opposition, this did not happen.

Lawmakers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement - Pakistan (MQM-P) and the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) walked out of the session in protest as Chandio began to read out his resolution. After a few minutes, MPAs of the MQM-P and GDA returned to the house and expressed their support for the resolution but the lawmakers of the PTI left while condemning the Sindh government’s decision to set aside the agenda of the house.

The day’s proceedings were spent largely on the resolution moved by Chandio. MPAs, mostly of the treasury bench, insisted that they were ‘democratic’ and critiqued the opposition parties for having supported dictators in the past.

“MRD was a struggle against dictators and tyrants who were stumbling blocks in the restoration of democratic dispensation in the country,” said Chandio.

The people who were killed in Punhal Khan Chandio village of Nawabshah in 1983 were peaceful, said Chandio, adding that the PPP has always given sacrifices. “Some quarters have always tried to derail the democratic process but we have foiled their efforts. The party led by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto, Asif Zardari, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has never surrendered before dictators,” insisted Chandio.

MPA Imdad Pitafi of the PPP criticised opposition members for protesting in the house and not supporting an ‘important’ resolution. “They have always furthered the agenda of their mentors who teach them to work against democracy in the country,” he remarked.

‘MRD was not PPP alone’

Whereas, Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the GDA - whose father, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, was one of the founding members of the PPP - reminded the house that it was not just the PPP alone which struggled and partook in MRD. “The movement comprised 11 different parties from all four provinces,” he said. “Unfortunately, the treasury members are only giving credit to the PPP. People from different provinces laid down their lives [for the movement],” added Jatoi. “My father took the lead in Sindh from the mausoleum of Quaid. He was arrested and put in Karachi Central Jail. Two of my uncles were arrested and my brother was booked in a murder case,” he said, while recalling that after the struggle, former army chief General Zia succumbed to pressure and announced to hold non-partisan election in 1985. “All MRD parties decided to not contest in the non-partisan election, but a few PPP senior leaders, who are now great beneficiaries of its successive governments, opted to contest the election and went against the decision of the movement,” reminded Jatoi. “Now they claim to be great champions for democracy,” he said.

Former Sindh chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah who had also been part of the MRD movement denied the allegation that some PPP leaders had gone against the movement’s decision.

Others who spoke in favour of Chandio’s resolution were Syed Sardar Shah, Heer Ismail Sohu, Raja Razzaque and others. The assembly adjourned till today (Wednesday).

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2019.