The Pakistan Peoples Party finally took its revenge on Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (likeminded) president and former Sindh chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim by declaring his seat (PS-60 Tharparkar 1) vacant on Thursday owing to his prolonged absence from the assembly. While the MPAs of Rahim’s faction of the PML-Q boycotted the session in protest, the PPP suggested that it would nominate Engineer Wali Muhammad Rahimoon to contest the seat.
Referring to a report by the assembly secretariat, Speaker Nisar Khuhro said, “I announce that Dr Rahim has been absent for about 40 consecutive days of the sitting sessions of assembly,” adding that the assembly had granted Rahim leave for about three and a half years, but his later leave applications had been rejected by the house. “Any member can now move a motion. It is now the prerogative of this house to make a decision either in his favour or against,” he said, citing the rules of the assembly and the constitution.
Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani then moved a motion, with the support of other PPP MPAs, stating: “Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, a member of Sindh Assembly, has been absent for 40 consecutive days of sitting sessions, I therefore request this house to declare his seat vacant.”
The leaders of the National Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional were not present when the motion was moved. Members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which was a coalition partner of the PML-Q during the Musharraf regime, gestured their support to the government.
PML-Q (likeminded) MPA Razzaque Rahimoon described the move as a bad trend in Sindh’s politics. “It is the prerogative of this house to make the decision, but it seems we are repeating past mistakes. Jam Madad Ali was earlier unseated by this house during the PPP government. Another member of this house is going to be disqualified. We cannot sit and watch the proceedings. We are boycotting the session,” he said.
Sindh Advocate General Fatah Malik also briefed the assembly on the move’s legality. Malik said two applications were filed on behalf of Rahim in the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad, challenging the assembly’s decision to reject his leave application and dismissing his party members’ application to nominate him as opposition leader. “In both the cases the court has dismissed his plea.”
He noted that Rahim had offered conflicting reasons – ill-health, the inability to travel by air and security concerns– for not being able to attend the assembly. “He is neither ill, nor being harassed by the government. I think the cries of those martyred in the October 18, 2007 blast are preventing him to return to Pakistan,” he said.
Durrani also asked for Rahim to be included in the investigation of the October 18 attack. “As a chief minister he was supposed to provide security to Benazir Bhutto on her return to the country,” he said.
The motion to declare Rahim’s seat as vacant was adopted with a majority of votes. The Sindh Assembly will now write to the Election Commission of Pakistan to issue a disqualification notification.
MPA Rahimoon said they would challenge the assembly decision in court on the grounds that Rahim is being politically victimised and claimed that no one else could win a seat in Thar. “I want to ask the PPP leadership where is their slogan of democracy is the best revenge?”
The Sindh Assembly session was prorogued indefinitely as it has completed the required number of working days.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2012.
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