"Koi mumlikat kufer ke saath to chal sakti hai magar na insaafi ke saath nahi [A state can be run by infidels but not by the unjust]", an MPA quoted Hazrat Ali (RA), as he lashed out against his own government during the general discussion on the budget.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Sardar Ahmed Pitafi is annoyed with his party. He blames the provincial government for allocating funds to 'favoured' districts only.
"Koi mumlikat kufer ke saath to chal sakti hai magar na insaafi ke saath nahi [A state can be run by infidels but not by the unjust]", he quoted Hazrat Ali (RA), as he lashed out against his own government during the general discussion on the budget in the Sindh Assembly on Monday.
Pitafi, who happens to be a founding member of the party, said that the chief minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, had not only failed to govern effectively but had also failed to stamp out corruption over the past six years. The PPP leaders patiently listened to his monologue while opposition members thumped their desks in appreciation of the man who dared to speak against his party's policies.
Pitafi belongs to district Ghotki, one of the richest districts in Pakistan in terms of industries. He demanded that the tax being collected from his area be used on its development. "My district stands second in terms of contributing tax after Karachi but the provincial government has even failed to approve the water and sanitation scheme I had submitted in 2007," he said. "Why is this being done to us? Where does the money go?" he questioned. He added that corrupt and incompetent bureaucrats had destroyed the resources of the provincial government.
It was the first day of general discussion on the budget where MPAs of the ruling PPP and its coalition partner, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), played the role of opposition by taking on the government's discriminatory approach in budget allocations. The majority of MQM MPAs demanded to withdraw the new taxes on property, educational institutions, motorcycles, laundries and fashion designers. "The lifetime tax on motorcycles and tax on transfer of vehicle documents will directly affect the poor people," said MQM's Sabir Qaimkhani, adding that tax on car washing services, laundries and beauty parlors in urban centres will push people further towards poverty.
Sabir questioned why Larkana and Shaheed Benazirabad (Nawabshah) were given around Rs1 billion in special packages while Hyderabad, which is the second largest city in the province, was only given Rs240 million. "You have been disputing with the federal government to get the proper share from the divisible pool, but have failed to distribute the same among the districts evenly."
'Suppressed' rights
Another MQM MPA, Waqar Shah, alleged that the chief minister had denied their rights by ignoring their areas and allocating more money to PPP-dominated constituencies. His words were echoed by slogans of 'shame shame' from MQM MPAs who were sitting on the treasury benches.
"More than Rs1 billion have been allocated for Lyari but only Rs100 million are allocated to districts Korangi, Central and East each," he lamented. He questioned why work was not initiated on the airport in Tharparkar despite the release of funds in 2009 and sought details of the Thar coal project, which according to him, was stuck in limbo.
Pakistan Muslim League – Functional MPA Dr Muhammad Rafique Banbhan said that the people of Khairpur were very lucky that the office of the chief minister was given for the second time to a person from the area. “However, my constituency of Faiz Ganj, Khairpur, is facing a severe shortage of irrigation water.” He also claimed that the local government department was the most corrupt.
On the other hand, PPP MPAs defended their government, terming it a historical budget that would bring about 'radical change by the end of the financial year'. Erum Khalid of the PPP blamed the federal government for failing to release the provincial government's share and meet the target of revenue collection. Ghazala Sial of the PPP said that during the 10-year tenure of General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, the PPP-dominated areas in Karachi and other districts were completely neglected. She reprimanded the MQM MPAs for their criticism and asked them to accept what she termed was a 'historical budget'.
Assembly supports army operation
The Sindh Assembly unanimously passed a resolution in support of the 'Zarb-e-Azb' army operation in North Waziristan against militants and terrorists.
Two similar resolutions were moved by parliamentary affairs minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro and Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Irum Farooque. In the resolution, the MPAs said that despite all the efforts made for peaceful dialogue, the enemies of Pakistan have continued to challenge the writ of the state, resulting in the loss of innocent human lives and destruction of property.
"We wish our valiant armed forces every success and hope that they eliminate terrorism in the operation and the whole nation stands united behind them," read the resolution. As the speaker moved the resolution, every member wanted to speak on this issue, branding it a welcome step towards eliminating the terrorists who, according to them, have waged war against the state.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 17th, 2014.
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