KARACHI, Feb 11: The fact that wheat flour in Sindh costs almost twice as much as it does in Punjab was bitterly criticised in the provincial assembly on Wednesday, when through a point of order Amanullah Mehsud of the Awami National Party drew the attention of the house to the wide margin of wheat flour prices in the two provinces.
Mr Mehsud said that Roti, Kapra aur Makan was the slogan of the Pakistan People’s Party, but the wheat flour rate in Sindh was Rs32 a kilogram while in Punjab it was Rs17 a kilo. “Why is there such a big difference in wheat flour prices?” he said.
“Don’t we live in the same country?”
He said Sindh produced 3.5 million tonnes of wheat while its need was around 3.4 million tonnes. “Then why this price difference?” he wondered.
Responding to the point of order, Food Minister Sardar Nadir Magsi conceded that there was a big price difference between Sindh and Punjab. However, giving reasons for the price margin, he said the need of the province for wheat was not 3.5 million tonnes but 4.5 million tonnes against the production of 3.5 million tonnes, some of which was smuggled out. He added that this year Punjab had stopped wheat supply, and as a result Sindh had to make up for the shortage of 1 million to 1.5 million tonnes.
He said Punjab met 80 per cent of the country’s requirement.
The food minister said he hoped that as a good wheat crop was expected this year, flour prices in Sindh would also come down.
On Wednesday, which was declared as a “private members’ day” by Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, in lieu of Tuesday that was a public holiday in Sindh on account of Shah Latif Bhitai’s urs, among other issues which were highlighted through points of order was the death of Maria Shah, a victim of an acid attack, raised by Arif Jatoi and agitated by a number of members, demanding the implementation of laws made for protection of women.
The other issues that briefly disturbed the smooth proceedings was opposition member Abdul Razzaq Rahimoon’s protest over not honouring the commitment made by the senior minister to the leader of the opposition that he (Rahimoon) would be nominated on the Sindh Coal Authority Board.
He also announced that his two colleagues, Muhammad Ali Malkani and Ram Singh Shodo, were also quitting the membership and chairmanship of the standing committees on youth affairs and public health engineering.
Homage to Shah Latif
Before Shehla Raza, who presided over the session from 11.30pm to 3.20pm without any break, called it a day, the high mark of the day’s proceeding was the homage paid to Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai.
The resolution was moved by Anwar Mahar out of turn which was allowed by Dr Sikander Mandhro by exercising powers of the chair as he was in the seat being a member of the panel of chairmen.
Dr Mandhro delivered a comprehensive speech highlighting the mystic poet’s work.
He was followed by Makhdoom Jameel-uz-Zaman, Heer Sohu, Jam Madad Ali, Syed Bachal Shah, Nuzhat Pathan, Rashida Panhwar, Shamim Ara Panhwar, Amir Ali Shah, Shazia Marri, Tauqir Fatimah Bhutto, Ram Singh Shodho, Partab Singh, Najmuddin Abro, Zubair Ahmad, Razi Naz Bozdar and Ayaz Soomro.
The speakers eulogised Shah Latif’s message of love, brotherhood, peace and service to humanity, which they said was appreciated not only in the subcontinent but also in the west.
Some of the speakers stressed the need for including his life and poetry at the primary-level syllabus instead of in the higher secondary school syllabus.
Before more members could be allowed to speak on the matter, the chair put the motion to the vote and it was passed unanimously.
Kalabagh dam issue
Minister for Irrigation Syed Murad Ali Shah made a statement on the floor of the house under Rule 215 on the Kalabagh dam in response to a reference of leader of the opposition Jam Madad Ali, who had asked about the fate of the dam project.
The minister termed the dam project a dead horse and recalled that the present government in the centre soon after its induction had announced scrapping the dam project.
He said it was not the first occasion but during the last two governments of the PPP -- in 1988 to ‘91 and 1993 to ‘96 -- the Sindh assembly had passed resolutions against the construction of Kalabagh dam and even in the 2002 to 2007 assembly, the PPP moved resolutions on every private members’ day but the leader of the opposition, whose party was in power, never allowed to move the resolution on the dam.
He assured the members that until the PPP was in power, Kalabagh dam would not be built.
He advised the opposition, which he said was friendly and enjoyed the dual status of being in government as well as in opposition, to table resolutions meant for the welfare of Sindh.
He criticised the resolution moved by Arif Jatoi urging the Sindh government to demand that the federal government do not pay Rs8 billion in arrears on salaries and benefits to 7,000 employees who were appointed by the PPP government but were terminated by its successor government.
Mr Shah said the PPP believed in democracy and advised the opposition to learn the difference between the government and the assembly as the elected house was more powerful than the government.
The leader of the opposition wanted to make a clarification, but he was not allowed as the rules did not permit contesting the statement of a minister made under Rule 215.
Acid victim’s death
Earlier, condemning the Maria Shah tragedy, speakers said the incident had shocked the entire province, and demanded the most severe punishment to the culprit. They also stressed the need for ensuring the enforcement of the women protection laws and making it simple for the victim to lodge an FIR.
Besides Arif Jatoi, the others who spoke on the issue were Tauqir Fatimah Bhutto, Anwar Mahr, Taimour Talpur, Heer Sohu, Marvi Rashdi, Humera Alwani, Rashida Panhwar and Ferheen Moghal.
Health Minister Dr Saghir Ahmad dispelled the impression that the family of the late Maria Shah was not helped in taking the body to her hometown, saying that the government was in touch with the family and had provided an ambulance and other assistance in taking the body to their hometown, and that the family were satisfied.
Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza expressed sorrow over the death of “a sister and daughter” and assured the house that the accused, already arrested, would be made to suffer due punishment.
Jam Madad Ali, through his point of order, raised the issue of shortage of irrigation water. Moin Khan praised the police for arresting seven suspects at Sohrab Goth, who reportedly belonged to the Mangal Bagh gang and were wanted in bank robberies and other serious crimes and also for arresting culprits involved in stealing goods from vehicles carrying supplies for the Nato forces in Afghanistan.
Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza appreciated the recognition of police performance .
Sherjeel Memon said that in Chachro tehsil of Tharparker, people had developed fungus on their body parts due to drinking polluted water, and asked the authorities to send medical teams there.
Fasih Shah supported the demand and stressed the need to make drinking water schemes functional. He asked the government to provide funds to the public health engineering department for the purpose.
Sharyar Mehar pointed to the suffering of 650 lecturers’ families who, he said, were running from pillar to post to get appointment letters despite having passed an SPSC examination in 2006.
Najmuddin Abro again raised the issue of paddy crop and called upon the government to honour the commitment made by the chief minister on the floor of the house that if Pasco and the Rice Corporation of Paksitna did not purchase it, the Sindh government would buy paddy from growers.
Bachal Shah said in Khairpur district the wheat crop was damaged by the recent rains and, therefore, all taxes on wheat growers in the district be waved as a relief as had been given to paddy growers in Larkana and Shikarpur, where paddy crop was damaged.
Fisheries Minister Zahid Bhurgari told the house about the measures taken by the Sindh government to find the whereabouts of the fishermen missing for the last 25 days. He said he was in touch with the families and looking after them besides keeping them informed of the government efforts.
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