Thursday, March 14, 2013

PPP minister joins opposition protest against Island City

By Razzak Abro

KARACHI: Opposition lawmakers belonging to Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and National People’s Party (NPP) in the Sindh Assembly on Wednesday strongly protested against the Federal Government’s purported move for handing over two islands of Sindh; Bundal and Buddo, locally known as Bhandar and Dingi, to a private construction firm for development of an Island City near DHA, Karachi. The PPP legislatures faced a complex situation when their own assembly member and provincial minister for Culture and Tourism, Sassui Palijo joined the opposition’s protest and participated in their walkout.

NPP lawmaker Arif Mustafa Jatoi moved an adjournment motion on the floor of the house to discuss the matter, however, the opposition lawmakers protested and staged a token walkout from house when Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro declared the motion against rules and procedure of the assembly. Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro opposed the motion, saying it was based only on newspaper reports.

Jatoi contended that the Port Qasim Authority had signed an agreement illegally with a local private construction company and a foreign firm. He said that the PQA had sold out the two islands, which belonged to the property of the Sindh government and people of the province. Sassui Palijo said that she had also read a report regarding a meeting in this regard, which quoted Sindh Governor Dr. Ishratul Ibad Khan as saying that the project would soon be completed. PML-F’s Nusrat Saher Abbasi said that Governor Ibad had said the President Asif Ali Zardari wanted to see early completion of the project. MQM’s Syed Sardar Ahmed said that it was a very serous issue as it pertained to encroachment on the government’s land. He said that the islands were property of the Sindh government, which could not be given to anybody else. Sindh Minister for Rehabilitation Haji Muzafar Shujra said that Sindh Chief Minister or the Sindh government had not allotted the islands to anybody and it was property of the province.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

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