KARACHI, Feb 15: Intra-party feuds, which had been simmering for quite some time, in the ruling Pakistan People’s Party erupted during the Sindh Assembly proceedings on Wednesday.

Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani accused senior lawmaker Dr Ahmad Ali Shah of having launched a ‘malicious campaign’ against him for over a month, and junior lawmaker Nawab Taimur Talpur accused Senior Education Minister and Parliamentary Party leader Pir Mazharul Haq of having used abusive language against him.

Senior Minister Syed Ali Nawaz Shah, whose anger boiled over, shouted: “Why is this tamasha being staged here? What message are we conveying to the people? It is a matter of shame for us!”

Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, who was presiding over the session, said he regretted the situation.

Expunging non-parliamentary words by lawmakers one another, he said such matters should not be brought to the assembly and be resolved outside the house or in his chamber.

The acrimony started soon after the house was called to order by the speaker at 11.45am when Mr Durrani on a point of explanation drew the attention of the speaker towards a newspaper report and said Dr Ahmad Ali Shah had launched a malicious campaign against him. He had also written a letter to the speaker against him hurling accusations of misbehaviour with lawmakers, he said.

He said he had never misbehaved with any member. “However, we joke with one another and if some one had taken my joke during questions hour on local government of the last session as misbehaviour, I am ready to apologise to them for it.”

MQM Parliamentary Party leader and Minister Syed Sardar Ahmed and Minister Shoaib Bokhari endorsed the point of view of Mr Durrani.

PPP lawmaker Dr Ahmed Ali Shah, who had sent a complaint against Agha Siraj PPP MPAs, ministers trade accusations in assembly Durrani to the speaker which was referred to in newspaper reports, having sent the complaint to the media, but said there was nothing wrong if he had written a letter to the speaker. “Our ministers are not giving due respect to us. Why is our ministers’ attitude not good with us.”

Mr Durani said if the member proved that he had insulted him, he was prepared to visit his home to tender an apology.

Dr Shah said: “The minister should not threaten me.”

In an attempt to calm the flaring tempers, Speaker Khuhro advised the two to go to his chamber to resolve the issue. “Your chamber is uncomfortable,” said the local bodies minister.

Pir Mazhar ul Haq said he and Mr Durrani had been in politics for over two decades and he had never seen him misbehave with anyone.

Dr Shah said the behaviour of the minister was provocative and he had already apologised to the Sheedi community for his recent remarks and he should do so to the lawmakers.

Syed Sardar Ahmed of the MQM advised both Dr Shah and Mr Durrani to sort out the matter in the speaker’s chamber.

Minister for Food Mir Nadir Khan Magsi urged both sides to apologise to each other.

After the question hour, Nawab Taimur Talpur rising on a point of order said Senior Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq had used abusive language against him during the inaugural ceremony of an educational centre in Umerkot district in the presence of Sindh Minister for Population Welfare Syed Ali Mardan Shah and other party leaders.

He said Ali Mardan had tried to stop the education minister but he did not listen. “We are not here to listen to abuses,” he remarked. “We will reply in the same coin if the minister did not behave.”

The education minister denied having used abusive language against anyone at the Umerkot function.

The situation was brought under control after ministers Nadir Magsi and Syed Ali Mardan Shah intervened.

The speaker, who put off his ruling on a privilege motion of PML-F lawmaker Syeda Marvi Rashdi for Wednesday, held the motion in order and referred it to the committee on privileges. The committee would formally call education secretary Siddique Memon to question him for his failing to respond to phone calls of elected members.

Responding to a point of order of Nusrat Sehar Abbasi of the PML-F, health minister Dr Sagheer Ahmad said the issue of the doctors on hunger strike would be resolved soon. He said the chief minister had formed a four-members committee to sort out the issue.

The introduction of a private bill to check violence against women and children was deferred for a week with the directive by the chair that all private bills on the subject be merged together and presented to the assembly.