The discussion in the Sindh Assembly started over the strike in the lower courts across Sindh where staff wants to be paid a three-fold raise as they have done in the Punjab. MPA Shaikh Muqeem Alam of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement raised this point of order, eliciting the law minister’s comparison. In fact, added Ayaz Soomro, as a minister he is making just Rs3,000 more than the peon by earning Rs33,000 per month.
In other business on Friday, the house of elected representatives also passed a law to appoint presiding officers for a tribunal and special courts to be set up under a law that was already been adopted in 2010.
Moving the bill, “Sindh Public Property (removal of encroachment) Sindh Bill 2011”, Soomro pointed out that they were following Supreme Court orders to appoint serving judges in consultation with the chief justice of the Sindh High Court.
Once the judges are appointed, cases relating to government property, which has been encroached on, would be taken back. A recent amendment was made to appoint serving judges of sessions and district courts who would work as presiding officers at these tribunals and special courts.
ZAB reference
Sindh’s MPAs have demanded the chief justice of Pakistan expedite the presidential reference on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s case. The demand was made during a discussion on a joint resolution on the occasion of the 84th birth anniversary of the Pakistan Peoples Party founder.
The lawmakers from this ruling party described the verdict as a “black spot” on the face of the judiciary and appealed to the CJ to set a historic precedent by reviewing the case and giving a verdict on merit.
Culture Minister Sassui Palijo said they were seeking justice for their leader who was hanged just to “appease some forces.” “The people of Sindh have always received the bodies of their leaders from Rawalpindi and they can tolerate this any longer.” Another PPP lawmaker, Humera Alwani added that they needed justice in the “judicial murder”. During the debate on the resolution, the members recalled that Bhutto gave Pakistan the 1973 Constitution, helped free 90,000 prisoners from India and had the landmark Simla Agreement signed in 1972.
Later, the acting speaker, Shehla Raza, ruling that many more members wanted to speak on the life of Bhutto, deferred the resolution till Saturday.
During the session, the law minister requested the acting speaker to defer the Sindh Sales Tax on Services (Amendment) Bill 2011 till the next sitting. The session will continue on Saturday.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2012.
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And how about the plundered and looted funds. But wait a moment, court peons have the similar chances, as agents of the court and juistice officials.