Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro responded on Tuesday to the vitriolic comments hurled at him by nationalist leaders after the provincial legislature approved the new local government system.
After the Sindh Peoples Local Government Ordinance 2012 was passed in the assembly on Monday, Sindh United Party’s chief and convenor of the Save Sindh Committee, Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah, held a press conference in which he said that Khuhro was a traitor who had betrayed Sindh.
Khuhro responded by organising a press conference on Tuesday at the Sindh Assembly’s committee room. He said that he felt proud of being the speaker of a house which had approved the local government law democratically. “It is very unfortunate that Sindhi nationalists support dictators’ laws, which have never been vetted by assemblies,” he said. “They remain silent when a dictator takes over but vent their dissent when elected governments take over. I am requesting them to protest peacefully rather than disrupting law and order in Sindh.”
He added that if nationalists do not like the new system, they should boycott the upcoming local government elections. “Jalal Mehmood Shah did not oppose the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government when it said that it would build the Kalabagh Dam. He was the deputy speaker of the Sindh Assembly but left his chair when we moved a resolution against the mega dam. But now, he wants to champion the rights of Sindh.”
When the speaker’s attention was drawn towards the government’s promise to make amendment to the new law, he said “We wanted to initiate a debate on this issue before the bill was passed, but opposition members did not go back to their seats and did not make any suggestions.”
The Sindh Assembly speaker added that before the assembly session started, he met MPAs opposing the system and told them that he could not allot them seats in the opposition benches until the resignations were approved by the governor.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2012.
COMMENTS (17)
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@Sed: Please do not come up with blameworthiness. I request you to first go through the national papers, which you call them national media before commenting: here I want to refer to some media coverage on in this paper. How can you claim of being discourteous?
http://tribune.com.pk/story/446627/lg-ordinance-another-activist-shot-dead-as-nationalists-continue-to-protest/
http://tribune.com.pk/story/445859/splgo-a-conspiracy-to-create-rift-between-urdu-sindhi-people-jst/
http://tribune.com.pk/story/445489/activist-shot-dead-police-station-set-on-fire-as-nationalists-continue-to-protest/
http://tribune.com.pk/story/443099/nationalists-urge-sindh-govt-to-bury-the-new-lg-ordinance/
http://tribune.com.pk/story/445485/local-government-why-werent-we-allowed-to-talk-about-it/
@Sed what do you mean by rural sindh? the same rural sindh who has given PPP 85 odd seats, MQM 5 seats and nationalists ZERO seats, the same urban sindh who has given MQM 85% mandate? where is the divide, i don't see any divide, i see democratic legislation, and what i see is Sindh has left behind Punjab,Balochistan and KP because these provinces are still living in 1979 commisoner system, which was left by British and the fact of matter is even Britain is following Local govt system, u see London mayor has done wonderful job, and Beijing mayor was also one of the mayor of the moments with Mustafa Kamal in 2008.
If putting the power back into the hands of people is a considered dividing Sindh then Yes this SLGO divides Sindh.
It divides the old Sindh and takes it to a new relam of success; the success whose stories were told and heard all over the world. The success which brought leaders like Mustafa Kamal; the success which brought revolution to the infrastructure of Sindh.
Countinue hating if you are against SUCCESS
@observer, of course not, I am sorry if gave the impression. Everyone is open to comment on this issue (its better if more people know) I just pointed out that blaming PMLn for an issue which is primarily between PPP/ MQM and rural Sindh is spinning it. That has been the verdict of PPP and MQM too which is wrong they all know that rural Sindh is angry at the legislation (the reason why it was taken in such haste and secrecy).
It will be very hard for Mr Khuhro to allay the allegations that he was a traitor to Sindh. He is advancing ridiculous explanations to defend his role and to defend the SPLGO. The Bill was passed in such an indecent haste the the beneficiaries of the ordinance or the act or the Bill and the benefactor were both surprised. So, Mr K you are now condemned with the title of Ghadaar e Sindh and you will have to live with it for your life, I am afraid. This stigma is very difficult to wipe out from your forehead. If you have played your dirty role in the Assembly but for God sake do not defend it and throw the dust in the eyes of hinterland Sindh that there was nothing in the Bill which has divided Sindh.
@Sed: So no one else has right to comment?? Wherever he may be from he has right to give his opinion.
I don't understand what is the problem here only because MQM is in favor of it, do remember MQM has delivered based on the almost same system, it means system is not bad, PPP and interior Sindh voters should make PPP accountable for it as well, why there is Hue and cry, I am sure there is no division in Sindh just insane agitation, and look who is doing it those nationalist and some thugs of ANP give me one example where these parties has done anything for Sindh and Sindhi brothers they just want people to live in stone age.
Atif Yousufzai this bill has created urban rural divide. I wonder where are you coming from. This agitation has nothing to do with Punjab, the parties which oppose this bill are Sindhi Nationalist parties please don't spin it into a racial issue.
What is even more shameful is that the Sindhi strikes are not getting any coverage on national media. I just came to know that a person was shot dead by police near Asif Ali Zardari's residence. One would expect that this biased media would cover such serious incidences and give coverage to opposition leaders in Sindh. Rest of Pakistan is still in dark about what is happening in Sindh. The media is projecting Sindhi agitators as thugs and criminals which is very unfortunate.
I hope sanity prevails and PPP/ MQM listen to genuine demands of rural Sindh and come to negotiation table.
@Sindhi_Pakistani: Perhaps you should stop being so "sensitive" and actually look to move forward. What precisely are your "just demands"?? That there be no local government? How is that in any way "just"?
The PMLN supporters, feudal mindset people and MQM-PPP haters are finding it hard to digest the fact that now only Sindh has a local govt system which will abolished the urban-rural gap which no province has done.
Well said Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, I hope people of Sindh get sane about it.
Traitor Traitor PPP Traitor!!! PPP-MQM wants to create anarchy in Sindh, both know very well that Sindhis are very sensitive about the integrity of their land. Through this scheme, they want to bring instability and chaos in Sindh based on the request of "Hidden Powers". Is Sindh going to be new Balochistan? Civil society, media and sane elements in other provinces should stand by Sindhis on their just demands.
Yes, he's not a traitor, just a sell-out.
Nisar Khuhro will be remembered as a traitor in the history by getting the SLGO passed within the shortest possible time and he has taken upon defending the bill. He is not that naive to know that his master Asif Zardari wanted this bill passed by the PPP legislators by hook or crook.
There were nearly 15 conscientious PPP members of the Assembly who abstained which in other meant no confidence in the Bill. The rest were under threat from Asif and could not gather courage to say no. Shameless Soomro and Sharjeel Memon were very enthusiastic in the assembly.
Nisar Khuhro from now on, unfortunately, carries a stigma of a traitor whether he likes it or not.
He is traitor. We condemn him. He has betrayed Sindh.