News
Opp hurls barbs at PPP over amendments in LG lawKARACHI: The opposition parties - Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) - demonstrated rare unity while resisting the amendments in the local government law in the Sindh Assembly session on Friday, but ended up staging a walkout due to insufficient strength, compared to treasury benches.
The house, with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmakers in presence, approved amendments into Sindh Local Government Act, 2013, by passing two ordinances, in disregard of opposition parties’ misgivings.
The session, which kicked off at 3:20pm, was presided over by Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani. Soon after the question hour session, Irfanullah Marwat of the PML-N rose and attempted to read out the motion on behalf of all the opposition members. The speaker intervened and asked him to bring the motion once assembly was done with its regular business. Bickering ensued right afterwards.
“I will not stay if my motion is not taken up,” shouted Marwat. All opposition legislators yelled in unison after being denied permission to present their motion. The house echoed with slogans, “Black law...unacceptable”, “Sindh government, haye, haye!”.
The speaker gave a floor to the minority MPA, Nand Kumar Goklani, to move his privilege motion as it was listed in the order of the day. Amid uproar, Goklani stood and said he withdrew his motion, which was welcomed by all the opposition lawmakers with desk-thumping.
Members of the opposition also tore up the copies of the ordinances. MQM legislators kept on yelling at the treasury benches as Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani continued placating the PPP lawmakers, who enjoy simple majority in the house with a total of 95 MPAs in the assembly of 168 legislators.
Committees’ formation: Earlier, speaking on a point of order, Opposition Leader Faisal Sabzwari drew attention of the house towards non-formation of committees. He said, under rule-189 of the Rules and Procedures of the Sindh Assembly, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) should be formulated after the general elections. “Elections were held in May, but despite lapse of six months neither the PAC nor any standing committee has been formed so far.” This is against the rules, he added.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk