RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Opposition in Sindh Assembly on Thursday walked out in protest against the deputy speaker who denied them permission to speak out.

The house reverberated with screeching sounds within moments after Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza disallowed PML-F’s lady legislator Nusrat Sehar Abbasi and other opposition members to speak following rejection of an adjournment motion, which Abbasi had tabled.

The motion sought discussion on transfer of 25 doctors to Hyderabad and Karachi from starvation- stricken Tharparkar District, where women and newborn children die of malnutrition and lack of a proper medical aide. The majority of lawmakers in the house who belongs to the ruling PPP, voted against the motion.

This hastened her to protest despite her microphone was switched off. She continued speaking. Sindh Senior Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said her motion was based on ‘misunderstanding’ as doctors from the chaotic area were sent for a ‘higher course.’ He denied transfer of doctors.

The deputy speaker, who is seen antagonistic to the opposition, also refused to permit other opposition legislators to speak out, which engendered screeching protest turning the house into a fish market in no time. Opposition legislators turned up vehemently to the deputy speaker rostrum and chanted ‘go corruption go.’ They also tore up copies of the assembly’s agenda and toss them up.

Despite opposition’s protest and walk out, the treasury continued legislations. The house introduced four bills including: ‘The Sindh Employees Social Security (Amendment) 2018’, ‘The Sindh Employees Old Age Benefit (Amendment) Bill 2018’, ‘The Sindh Minimum Wage (Amendment) Bill 2018’ and ‘The Sindh Workers Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill 2018’.

The house also adopted bills into law to establish the Nusrat Bhutto Women University in Sukkur, Shaikh Ayaz University Shikarpur, regularization of contract employees in Khairpur Medical College, and one regarding Dr Ziauddin University. “Shaikh Ayaz University is a gift of the PPP government to the people of Shikarpur,” said PPP MPA Imtiaz Shaikh, a retired bureaucrat who had remained in PML-F and other parties in the past.

Two of the opposition parties - PML-F and PML-N staged a unique protest in the house with sacks in hands asking the government to ensure fair distribution of contracts to farmers during the wheat procurement. They chanted ‘give farmers sacks’ and ‘end to referral chits.’ The protesting lawmakers also appealed to the Chief Justice to take notice of poor farmers’ grievances, in this connection.