Sindh MPAs distraught over suspension

Memon suggests moving a joint petition stating that killing dogs is local bodies’ job

KARACHI:

A court order leading to the suspension of two MPAs from Sindh over rising dog-bite cases in their respective constituencies in Rato Dero and Jamshoro has left lawmakers of the province worried.

This was evident during the Sindh Assembly session on Thursday.

As the session commenced, the opposition leader in the provincial assembly, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Haleem Adil Sheikh said, "Please let us know who is working on killing dogs. The MPAs from the opposition have no authority, resources or power [with regards to the matter]. What can we do to [ensure] compliance with court orders?"

This was echoed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan MPA Muhammad Hussain Khan.

"Most lawmakers, especially those in the opposition, are worried. No one from the government has taken us into confidence on dog-killing campaigns launched by the local government," he said.

His concern, however, met with a flippant response from Sindh Assembly speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, who remarked, "Are you willing to kill dogs? Really?"

He then clarified that he had been a local government minister in the past and MPAs or other elected representatives had nothing to do with killing stray dogs.

Read: SHC orders to suspend MPAs including Faryal Talpur over dog-bite incidents

"There is no need to panic. It is local bodies' job," he explained.

At that, Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Sharjeel Inam Memon suggested that parliamentary leaders from the opposition, along with members of treasury benches, move a joint petition in the court, maintaining that an MPA's job is legislation and not killing dogs.

The Sindh High Court's Sukkur bench had suspended the membership of PPP lawmakers, Faryal Talpur and Malik Asad Sikandar, over their failure to supervise the campaign launched for killing stray dogs and rising dog-bite cases in their respective constituencies.

Prior to the issuance of their suspension orders, the court had warned of suspending lawmakers from whose constituency another dog-bite case was reported.

Motion rejected

Earlier, the assembly rejected a privilege motion on horse-trading during the recent Senate election in the Sindh Assembly moved by Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal MPA Abdul Rasheed.

The lawmaker said, "We witnessed the sale and purchase of votes in the Senate election, which breached the privilege of the house."

He requested the speaker to form a committee comprising members of the house to probe into the matter.

"This will prevent such a menace in the future," he contended.

Besides, the MPA condoned the violence and scuffle in the house between PPP and PTI MPAs before the Senate election.

The speaker, however, rejected the motion, terming it "out of order."

Speaker Durrani after hearing out the MMA MPA rejected his privilege motion calling it "out of order."

Motion approved

The house, however, approved an adjournment motion against the recent power tariff hike by the federal government, moved by PPP MPA Sadia Javed, for debate on Monday.

Digitisation

During the question-answer session, PTI MPA Rabia Azfar asked about the government's plan to make 50 per cent of various departments' paper free.

To that, Sindh Information Minister Taimur Talpur said none of the government departments had been made paper free thus far and work was under way to digitise official records.

He further informed the house that his department was working on a comprehensive an advanced hospital management system to develop a database of high quality patient care and computerise out-patient departments, laboratories, inventories and other facilities.

Also read: SHC suspends Talpur’s PA membership

The IT minister said his department had trained 901 employees of the Sindh secretariat in the use of IT and developed 55 websites of various government departments.

"We have implemented computerised systems in three departments, including the revenue department, where the databases of properties have been digitised," he added.

Following that, PTI MPA Khurram Sher Zaman drew the IT minister's attention towards the provincial government's claim of having developed a traffic management system for Karachi.

"Traffic gridlocks are witnesses across the city. Of what use has been your management system to resolve the issue?" he asked.

To that, the IT minister replied, "Please tune into our channel on radio if you are stuck in traffic."

Protesting principals

Meanwhile, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani maintained that the government could not regularise the principals who were appointed after passing an exam conducted by the Institute of Business Administration, Sukkur and has been staging a protest outside the Sindh Assembly as a case pertaining to the matter was pending in the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2021.