‘Sindhu Desh Naa Manzoor’ chants bring Sindh Assembly to a standstill

The Sindh Assembly was thrown into turmoil on Friday as opposition lawmakers turned the House into a battleground over the province’s identity, repeatedly chanting “Sindhu Desh Naa Manzoor” (Sindh Desh unacceptable) and drowning out proceedings before the Speaker, Syed Owais Qadir Shah, was forced to adjourn the sitting after only a brief session.

The uproar erupted at the very outset of the proceedings, with MQM lawmakers raising the slogans as the speaker called for order. His appeals went unheeded as the opposition continued its protest, rendering debate virtually inaudible and effectively paralysing the House.

The disruption came amid mounting political tensions over demands for the Sindh Assembly to formally condemn the Sindhudesh separatist movement, a day after the House passed a resolution against the division of Sindh.

Amid the commotion, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar laid an audit report before the House, while Human Settlements Adviser Najmi Alam responded to lawmakers’ written and supplementary questions regarding katchi abadis.

Alam said only settlements established before 2011 would be eligible for leases, noting that any settlement established afterwards would not be leased and would instead be considered an encroachment.

Read: ‘Sindh is one, shall remain one’: Assembly passes resolution against division of province

He added that a no-objection certificate from the Board of Revenue was mandatory for leasing and that no new settlement could be established without the required NOC.

According to the adviser, 50 per cent of the revenue collected from katchi abadis was spent on those same settlements. He attributed Karachi’s growing population partly to continued migration into the city.

On the Lines Area project, Alam said it fell under the local government department and that a project director had already been appointed. A board meeting would be held within 10 to 12 days to decide plots for resettlement, he said.

Alam further stated that plots in katchi abadis would not be allotted to anyone who already owned property elsewhere.

The government had also sought land from the revenue department to establish a “Sasti Basti” (inexpensive settlement) where low-income families could build homes through instalments, he said, clarifying that the government would provide plots rather than construct houses for them.
Alam said removing settlements built over storm-water drains was the responsibility of district administrations.

Alam added that work was underway, on the chairman’s instructions, to regularise ownership for people in Tharparkar and Umerkot who lacked documentation. To prevent buying and selling in katchi abadis, survey forms were also being distributed, he said.

During the proceedings, MQM lawmaker Amir Siddiqui drew the House’s attention to a water shortage in Karachi, particularly in Adam Colony and Soldier Bazaar, saying residents were facing severe difficulties.

In the absence of the local government minister, Parliamentary Secretary Qasim Siraj Soomro said water was being supplied across Karachi on a 12-hour rotation. He attributed the zero billing in the affected areas to residents’ failure to pay water bills.

Another MQM lawmaker, Faisal Rafiq, raised the issue of problems that had remained unresolved for 44 years.

The continuing uproar, however, disrupted legislative business to such an extent that Siddiqui declined to speak on an adjournment motion.

The speaker eventually adjourned the sitting until 2:30pm on Monday.

MQM tables its own anti-Sindhudesh resolution

The MQM-P and the Sindh government traded sharp accusations after opposition lawmakers alleged that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) administration had blocked their bid to move a resolution against the Sindhudesh movement, only for the MQM to later submit the resolution independently.

Speaking to reporters after the assembly session, Opposition Leader Ali Khursheedi accused the government of displaying “arrogance and prejudice”, saying the opposition’s proposals had been kept out of a resolution on the issue of new provinces.

Khursheedi said the MQM lawmakers had opposed what he described as “frivolous conduct” and had also demanded that separatist movements be explicitly condemned. “We wanted to move a resolution against Sindhudesh today, but the government displayed arrogance,” he said, alleging that the speaker appeared to be under pressure.

Read More: PA digs in as 'new provinces' debate enters third day

He claimed that Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had reprimanded the speaker, who appeared pressured during the proceedings.

MQM deputy parliamentary leader Taha Ahmed Khan accused the PPP of showing “prejudice and an authoritarian attitude”, saying his party would protect what he called its “defensive line”. “We are against all separatist movements,” he said, insisting that a resolution against the Sindhudesh movement should be brought before the House because such a movement was active in Sindh.

Khan said it was regrettable that the government had not allowed the resolution to be presented, stressing that “this is our homeland, Pakistan”. He further alleged that people subscribing to the Sindhudesh ideology were sitting on the government benches and accused the PPP of refusing to entertain any discussion against the movement.

He said Sindhis were patriotic and argued that those refusing to support an anti-Sindhudesh resolution could not claim to be supporters of Sindh.

Later, however, Taha Ahmed Khan, accompanied by other MQM-P lawmakers, submitted a resolution against Sindhudesh and all separatist movements in Pakistan, effectively putting the issue back on the assembly’s agenda.