KARACHI, July 13: Amid chants of ‘No! No!’ by Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmakers, the Pakistan People’s Party got three controversial bills passed into law with a majority vote within 15 minutes in the Sindh Assembly on Wednesday.

However, jubilant slogans raised by members of the treasury side and desk-thumping almost drowned out the noisy protest staged by MQM lawmakers, who virtually laid a siege to the high seat of the speaker, occupied by Shehla Raza who filled in for Nisar Khuhro.

While the assembly passed the three bills pertaining to the ordinances issued by acting Governor Nisar Ahmad Khuhro on July 9, it rejected the governor’s message on The Sindh Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill, 2008 (Bill No 6 of 2008) for reconsideration.

Following the rejection of the governor’s message, MQM lawmakers staged a walkout from the house raising slogans of “shame, shame”, “black laws not acceptable”, “autocratic democracy will not be allowed” and “terrorism will not be allowed”.

Every time Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza asked the law minister to move a motion to carry out the business of the house, the agitating legislators raised noisy slogans while some of them were seen tearing up the order of the day and hurling its pieces at the speaker’s seat.

Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, who attended the whole session as leader of the house, witnessed the proceedings without showing any reaction. At one time Muttahida MPA Raza Haroon and Law Minister Ayaz Soomro had a heated argument as Mr Shah sat stoically on his nearby seat.

The three bills pertain to the Repeal of Police Order 2002 and Revival of the Police Act, 1861, Bill 2011; the Sindh Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill 2011; and The Repeal of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001 and Revival of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 1979, Bill 2011.

The house, which was called to order at 10.20am by Ms Raza, after completion of its 11-point agenda by 11.30am, was adjourned till July 22.

Earlier, after recitation of Naat, MQM lawmakers entered the assembly hall from the door used by the opposition and converged in front of the speaker’s seat. They demanded that their ministers’ resignations be accepted and seats be reallocated to them. They refused to sit on the treasury benches despite repeated rulings by the chair, who asked them to first take their seats.

Some of the agitating lawmakers wanted to mention names for offering Fateha but the chair did not accept their demand, insisting that they first take their seats.

After Fateha was offered for the departed souls whose names were inaudibly mentioned by some members from the treasury benches, MQM deputy parliamentary party leader Syed Faisal Sabzwari urged the chair to be neutral and reallocate seats according to their request submitted a few days back so that they could also take part in the proceedings.

“We are elected representatives and want to play the due role of the opposition, which was not played in the past unfortunately,” he asserted.

The response of the deputy speaker was “the ministers’ resignations have not yet been accepted”.

MQM leader Raza Haroon asked under what law their ministers and the governor’s resignations were not being accepted.

“We are no more ministers. Now we want to play the role of the opposition. We request you that our resignations be taken as accepted as we are now in the opposition.”

Mr Sabzwari later drew the attention of the chair to their adjournment motion on bloodshed of innocent people.

Amidst the noise, the chair announced the names of a panel of chairmen comprising Dr Sikander Mandhro, Dr Ahmad Ali Shah of the PPP and Nahid Begum of the MQM while another name could not be heard in the press gallery.

The chair said that the resignations of the ministers were under process. Until a decision was taken by the relevant authorities, they could take the seats on her left side, she said.

On lawmakers’ refusal, she said even if their resignations were accepted, they had to sit on the seats to be allocated to them by the chair as there was no specific mention of the seating arrangements for the opposition, except tradition, in the rules of business. It was also pointed out that under the rules of business of the assembly it was the speaker’s prerogative to determine the order of seats of the members.

When Jam Madad Ali — still leader of the opposition despite the fact that Pakistan Muslim League-Functional recently decided to sit on the treasury benches — submitted his resignation to the secretary of the assembly saying that that his party had joined the treasury benches. The chair said the seats would be reallocated when a decision was taken on the file, maybe by tomorrow.

Later when the chair decided to take up the question hour, the house echoed with such slogans as “We don’t recognise oppressive laws, “dadagiri ki sarkar nahin chalegi nahin chalegi” and “khoon rang laiga, inqilab aaiga”.

The treasury benches started thumping the desk when the chair mentioned the name of the questioner. But the question hour was wrapped up within 15 minutes as members’ voice was inaudible.

The adjournment motion of Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto was not taken up as he said he was indisposed. The chair then asked Law Minister Ayaz Soomro to move the motion for laying the ordinances.

The entire proceedings of laying of the ordinances, announcement of assent to the 10 bills by the governor and consideration of the three bills were completed within 25 minutes.

The bills given assent by the governor are: The Sindh Sales Tax on Services Bill, 2011; Sindh Protection of Human Rights Bill, 2011; Sindh Child Protection Authority Bill, 2011; Sindh Travel Agencies Bill, 2011; Sindh Criminal Prosecution Service (constitution, functions and powers) (Amendment) Bill, 2011; Sindh Civil Servants (regularisation of absorption) Bill, 2011; Sindh Financial Management and Accountability Bill, 2011; Sindh Tourists Guides Bill, 2011; Thar Coal and Energy Board Bill, 2011; and Zulfikarabad Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2011.