Speaker’s move to adjourn session irks opposition

GDA's newly-elected candidate from Larkana was supposed to take oath during the session

KARACHI: Within minutes of convening, the Sindh Assembly speaker Agha Siraj Durrani adjourned the session on Friday, citing lack of quorum. The move irked the opposition members, who protested against the adjournment of the proceedings, where the newly-elected candidate of Grand Democratic Alliance, Moazzam Ali Abbasi, was scheduled to take oath.

Abbasi, who recently secured a historic electoral victory against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate in the PPP's hometown, Larkana, was accompanied by scores of people from his hometown, who had come to witness the oath-taking ceremony.

Irked by the speaker's move, Abbasi lashed out against the PPP outside the assembly. "They have adjourned the session to discourage me and my voters who have come from Larkana to witness my oath taking ceremony," he said.

Abbasi, who was also accompanied by his father, former MPA Haji Munwar Ali Abbasi, uncle, former senator Safdar Abbasi and over two dozen opposition MPAs from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and GDA, vowed to defeat the PPP and win all the seats from Larkana in the next general elections.

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Wearing a traditional Sindhi turban, Abbasi said, "Today, the PPP stands exposed. They are jealous and can't tolerate my victory because I have defeated them in their own stronghold," said Abbasi. "The time will come soon when the PPP will be wiped out of the entire province," he added.

An official in the Sindh Assembly said that around 100 passes had been issued for voters of the GDA candidate and a large number of Abbasi's supporters had gathered outside the assembly.

PTI and MQM-P MPAs had even set up a camp outside the assembly, where Abbasi's supporters danced to the sound of traditional tunes.

"Every day, the session starts two hours after the scheduled time. Today, the speaker adjourned it without waiting for quorum. This was all done because the PPP is afraid of our newly-elected candidate and they can't face it," said Opposition Leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi.

Dr Safdar Abbasi thanked the PTI and MQM-P MPAs for arranging the programme for them and said that the Larkana by-election was not against a PPP candidate, but the entire Sindh government's machinery was mobilised to win the polls. "Bilawal Bhutto himself was leading the campaign. He is an elected MNA from Larkana and his government is in power for the last 12 years, but they have failed to provide relief to the masses," said Dr Abbasi, adding that schools are deprived of drinking water facilities and public hospitals lack medicines. "HIV positive cases are rising with each passing day. The people of Larkana are now well aware and will stand up against the PPP in the next election," he said. 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2019.