New assembly building likely to be completed in six months: Khuhro

The current building was meant to house 82 legislators, but now has a strength of 168.

KARACHI: The new Sindh Assembly building, being constructed at a cost of Rs2 billion, is expected to be completed in six months, said the provincial assembly speaker Nisar Khuhro as he inaugurated the dome of the new building on Wednesday.

While the building was originally supposed to be completed by October 2012, Khuhro said that 70 per cent of the construction has been completed.

The present assembly building was constructed in 1942, at a cost of Rs1 million. It was built to accommodate a total of around 339 people at one time, including 82 legislators, 213 visitors and 44 media personnel. Meanwhile, the current strength of the assembly stands at 168 members, which means that tempers are much more likely to rise as MPAs find themselves fighting for an inch of space on the assembly floor. The new building is expected to accommodate 350 legislators.

Talking politics

Addressing the ongoing controversy on the appointment of the opposition leader in the provincial assembly, Khuhro said that he has received separate applications for the position from the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q). Nusrat Sehar Abbasi has been nominated by 10 MPAs from the PML-F, National Peoples Party and the Awami National Party, while Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has been nominated by four PML-Q MPAs, said Khuhro.

“Even though the Sindh Assembly unanimously de-seated Dr Rahim, his case is pending in court. That is why no decision has been taken on his nomination.” Nusart Seher Abbasi also does not have a majority of opposition votes, added Khuhro.

The post of the opposition leader has been lying vacant for the past 18 months, when PML-F’s Jam Madad Ali was appointed a provincial minister after his party joined the coalition government.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2013.