Treasury benches evade queries about public varsities

Lawmakers trade jokes as question hour fizzles out in assembly

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KARACHI:

A question-and-answer session in the Sindh Assembly on Monday descended into chaos, with lawmakers trading jokes and posing irrelevant queries.

The commotion began when MQM member Sabir Qaimkhani asked how many of Sindh's 30 government universities rank among Pakistan's top ten. Deputy Speaker dismissed the question as irrelevant, prompting Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon to remind lawmakers that the speaker's ruling is final.

Jamaat-e-Islami's member Muhammad Farooq inquired about the disparity in fees among Sindh's universities. Parliamentary Secretary Marvi Rashdi deemed the question new and advised Farooq to resubmit it. Farooq noted that students from other provinces, Palestine, and African countries study in Sindh's universities, with Palestinian students receiving free education. MQM's Muhammad Daniyal lamented that his questions were repeatedly deemed irrelevant. In response, Parliamentary Secretary Asan asked, "who is the minister of universities," sparking laughter in the House.

The assembly also discussed several attention notices, including sewage issues in New Karachi and Lyari. Member of Assembly Rehan Akram presented an attention notice on sewage issues in New Karachi. Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani said that work is being done to improve sewer lines in the area. Funds will be allocated for the scheme this year if possible.