Bickering legislators unite against Kalabagh Dam

Murad Ali Shah’s presence strikes debate over assembly attendance rules.

KARACHI:

Sindh legislators may fight among themselves over voters’ constituencies but when it comes to Kalabagh Dam they have united against the Lahore High Court’s decision.

During the Sindh Assembly session on Thursday, both the treasury and opposition benches moved different resolutions to condemn the verdict and called it a “conspiracy” that could trigger a civil war in the country. Despite the apparent unity, the house witnessed pandemonium as lawmakers accused each other of supporting the Kalabagh Dam during their earlier tenures.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Imran Zafar Leghari proposed the resolution. Soon after, all the members rushed in to declare their party’s opposition to the mega project. In an emotional speech, Pakistan Muslim League - Functional (PML-F) Nusrat Sehar Abbasi called the dam a “bomb” that can claim millions of lives.

As soon as she accused PPP founder Zulfikar Bhutto of approving the feasibility report in the 1970s and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto for allocating the budget in 1989, she met resistance from the treasury benches. The courts are misguided that all provincial governments approved the dam. “This is not true,” she said, adding that it is the responsibility of the government to close the chapter of this controversial project, which has already been rejected by three provincial assemblies.

PPP leaders in the Punjab, such as Punjab Assembly opposition leader Raja Riaz and federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, supported the project, she said.

The PPP legislators, in turn, accused the PML-N of adopting a soft approach for the project during the tenure of General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. “Can anyone prove if their leaders protested against Kalabagh Dam the same way as our leader, Benazir Bhutto, staged a sit-in at Kamoon Shaheed Bridge on the border of Sindh and Punjab,” said PPP’s Rafique Advocate Engineer.



This angered the opposition members and the speaker had to intervene and stop the members from making further inflammatory statements.

For PPP’s Pir Mazharul Haq, there is a conspiracy driving the Lahore court’s decision because the same court had awarded capital punishment to PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He demanded the Supreme Court take notice of the high court’s decision as it could lead to a civil war like Somalia’s.

Dual nationality dispute

The treasury and opposition benches argued over the presence of ministers, who had resigned from their posts for possessing dual nationality. The treasury members insisted that the 18th amendment allows the chief minister (CM) to reappoint deposed MPAs as ministers, who can take part in the proceedings. The opposition members were, however, not satisfied with this explanation and said they would go to court.

As soon as the session started, National Peoples Party (NPP) MPA Arif Mustafa Jatoi diverted the speaker’s attention towards Murad Ali Shah, who had recently let go of his finance minister’s post. “I want to ask why you have given permission to a stranger in this house,” he said. He agreed that the CM has the power to appoint cabinet ministers, but this house belongs only to elected members, he added.

Khuhro pointed out that the 18th Amendment allows Shah to not only sit in the house, but to take part in the proceedings for up to six months until he is re-elected as a member. Jatoi, however, was not satisfied.

PPP’s Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Ayaz Soomro and Rafique Advocate Engineer requested an amendment that will allow Shah to attend the proceedings, but Jatoi kept his ground. Later, Shah left the house, allowing Dr Mandhro to move the motion. With a thumping majority, the motion was accepted and Shah returned, along with PPP’s Sadiq Memon and MQM’s Khawaja Izharul Hassan.

The speaker adjourned the session till today. The resolution against Kalabagh Dam is likely to be adopted in the session.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2012.