MPAs face off again as Sindh Assembly resumes

In its first session after a month-long hiatus, the Sindh Assembly session witnessed its usual ruckus as members from the treasury and opposition came face to face to criticise each other’s policies.

As the session started with deputy speaker Rehana Leghari in the chair, PTI MPA Khurrum Sher Zaman drew the house’s attention toward stray dogs, which, according to him, had been roaming in Larkana, PPP’s home town, and other places in Sindh.

As the situation settled down, PPP MPA Imdad Pifati’s non-parliamentary remarks against the federal government and its cabinet members over the distribution of the National Finance Commission (NFC) award led to a protest in the house.

Opposition members belonging to the PTI stood up at their seats and demanded an apology from Pitafi. “He has used abusive language, so he must tender apology,” Zaman said. After the heated argument, the deputy speaker controlled the situation and continued the agenda.

Earlier, members from the opposition and treasury offered Fateha for the departed soul of veteran politician Ataullah Mengal, the former chief minister of Balochistan and senior journalist Raheemullah Yousafzai. Both had passed away recently.

During the session, PTI MPA Jamal Siddiqui raised the issue of rain havoc in Karachi. He said almost all roads were inundated and the city government had again has failed to help the people.

Moving a call to attention notice, he added that the storm drains were in a pathetic condition and still caused a flood-like situation in Karachi. “Where is the newly-appointed administrator and his performance?” he questioned.

Responding to him, parliamentary secretary local government Saleem Baloch claimed that for the first time, citizens of Karachi had seen municipal bodies perform in an agreeable manner, something which had been missing for the last many years.

“The Administrator Karachi and all district municipal corporations were alert and cleared all the areas within minutes,” he claimed. He added people had actually enjoyed the rains because of pre-monsoon preparations of the KMC this time around.

Talking about exorbitant fees charged by private schools, TLP’s Sarwat Fatima her call to attention notice on the issue and inquired about the action being taken against such institutions. She said private schools were charging a huge fee during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In the name of online classes, they have cheated parents by not proving proper education and still getting huge fees in return,” she said. Fatima added most of the schools change a minimum Rs5,000 per month from a student.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2021.