Benazirabad slayings dominate SA session

Opposition says law and order at its worst as PPP has failed to establish govt’s writ

KARACHI:

The leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party came under fire in the Sindh Assembly as the Benazirabad incident, in which five peasants were shot dead, dominated Monday's proceedings. Opposition lawmakers demanded answers as members of the Zardari clan were allegedly involved in the grizzly incident.

"Zardari Jawab do, khoin ka hisaab do (Answer us, Zardari, give us accountability for the bloodshed)," were the slogans which echoed across the floor of the provincial legislature.

PTI lawmakers brought along placards inscribed with slogans to demand justice for the Bhand community people who were killed over a land dispute near Qazi Ahmed of Benazirabad district. They chanted slogans against PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari and PPP MPA Ali Hassan Zardari for allegedly backing the suspected killers who had occupied 400 acres of agricultural land.

The multiple protests in the house created pandemonium and prompted speaker Agha Siraj Durrani to adjourn the session till Tuesday (today). All agenda items were also deferred. Tension prevailed in the house during the fateha session and the situation soon took a political turn. As the speaker gave the floor to Nusrat Seher Abbasi of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) for fateha, she drew the house's attention towards sit-in on National Highway where victim families, along with political party leaders, have been protesting for the registration of FIRs against the slaying of the peasants.

They have refused to bury the bodies of their loved ones till adequate justice is provided. "May God punish the killers and their abettors," she remarked. The speaker asked the GDA MPA to refrain from dragging political issue into the fateha session. "We are not supposed to discuss these issues in fateha," he observed.

Soon after fateha, as the question-answer session relating to the health department got underway, the assembly witnessed another uproar over the availability of ambulances in the province. "We are purchasing more ambulances for government hospitals," Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho said in response to a question.

Her answer irked Opposition Leader Haleem Adil Shaikh who stood from his seat and asked if there were enough ambulances, why were the victims of the Benazirabad incident not shifted to the hospital in a timely manner? "The police and district administration deliberately delayed their transportation to appease senior PPP leaders who support criminals," he alleged.

The speaker warned the opposition leader and said he would not allow Sheikh to speak on an "irrelevant issue". "You can ask a supplementary question on ambulances," he said, directing his staff to switch off the latter's microphone. Minsiter for Parliamentary Affairs, Excise and Taxation Mukesh Kumar Chawla requested the speaker not to allow things, which according to him, were a waste of the assembly's time.

The PTI MPAs, however, started a protest when the mic of the opposition leader was switched off. Responding to the opposition, PPP lawmakers also shouted slogans of "go Niazi go", taking a jibe at the federal government and Prime Pinister Imran Khan. Amidst the protest, the session was adjourned till Tuesday.

Earlier, as proceeding started, journalists covering the Sindh Assembly protested against the suspension of a TV channel by PEMRA. They demanded the restoration and resumption of the transmission of the channel without delay.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2022.