Awami National Party’s Amir Nawab was the first to speak. He reiterated his party’s support for the NPP’s resolution and alleged that, there are attempts being made to “sabotage the 18th Amendment”.
“Our signatures are also on the resolution and we support it. We have always struggled for provincial autonomy,” he said.
Sindh United Party’s chief Jalal Mehmood Shah, who viewed the Sindh Assembly proceedings from the visitors’ gallery and is a former deputy speaker, also spoke to reporters. Shah said that the speaker had assured that he would take up this resolution on Monday and it was important that it should have been brought up. He described the speaker as an “umpire of the assembly” who should not be partial towards one party. “The speaker should have looked towards the other side (to take up the resolution),” he remarked.
The allegation of partiality brought Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro out to the dais to rail against Shah by referencing history. “Sindh has always defeated conspiracies against it and has always been ahead of the issues, such as water.”
Khuhro then spoke about the past, recalling when Shah was deputy speaker of the Sindh Assembly and Liaquat Jatoi was Sindh chief minister. Jatoi had said that if Benazir Bhutto called for a sit-in protest against Kalabagh Dam, the assembly would pass a resolution.
“Instead of passing the resolution, Shah ran away from the assembly,” Khuhro said. “The lights were turned off and we sat in darkness to pass a resolution against [the] dam.”
According to Khuhro, he wanted people to “unite” in favour of Sindh, the same way they did against Kalabagh Dam. “This is what the Muttahida Qaumi Movement agreed to as well. Masroor Jatoi’s resolution is a sifarshi one addressing the federal government,” he said.
“Politics is the name of seriousness,” Khuhro said, addressing politicians. “I am a son of Sindh’s soil. People will ask of your loyalty. My career as a worker of the Pakistan Peoples Party is not for sale.”
He also clarified that he had meant for Masroor Ahmed Jatoi to speak after Ayaz Soomro but when he looked up, Jatoi had already left the house.
Masoor Ahmed Jatoi told journalists that there were 50 signatures on the resolution draft, which showed how important the issue was. “We talk of empowerment, how can we give a right back to the federation? How will we protect provinces?” he said. “We are not against the creation of new provinces but we must follow the rules of procedure.”
Pakistan Muslim League-F’s Jam Madad Ali said that the resolution will be brought up on Thursday. “You do not have to be in the opposition to bring up issues. You can do so if you’re in the government too, and not doing so would be betraying the voters who elected us.”
PML-Q’s Shaharyar Khan Mahar said he was saddened by the day’s events. He called CM Qaim Ali Shah a “joker reciting jokes from a book” while PML-Q (Likeminded) MPA Razzaque Rahimoon announced his bloc’s support for Jatoi.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2012.
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