KARACHI, June 22: The Sindh Assembly on Friday lodged its strong protest over the use of offensive remarks against women lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly by their colleague Shaikh Allauddin, who was elected on a PML-Q ticket, in a bid to defend the PML-N.

The Sindh Assembly hall reverberated with slogans of ‘shame, shame’ when PPP lawmaker Farheen Mughal by her point of order drew attention of the house towards the Punjab Assembly incident.

Seeking cancellation of Mr Allaudin’s membership from the Punjab Assembly for calling the women lawmakers ‘dancing girls in the death well’, Ms Mughal said the language he had used reflected his mindset.

On Friday, which was the sixth day of general discussion on the budget proposal 2012-13, nine more lawmakers were able to express their views.

Nearly all of them appreciated an increase in the budget volume, particularly the funds allocated in the education, health and agriculture sectors, poverty reduction and employment schemes.

But they were critical of the bureaucracy over its failure to use development funds properly that they said resulted in the lapse of a major part of the funds.

Welcoming the budget, PPP legislator Syed Ghulam Shah Jilani highlighted the need to resolve the longstanding water shortage issue by building gauge dams.

MQM lawmaker Anwar Alam said the prices of essential commodities had increased more than a month before the arrival of Ramazan and urged the government to take notice of the price hike.

Another MQM legislator Abdul Sattar Rajar said those demanding that agriculture income be brought into the tax net had never paid attention to income tax theft.

PML-Arbab lawmaker Arbab Zulfiqar said in Tharparkar districts, there was no water even for drinking, let alone for irrigation.

PML-F legislator Nusrat Sehar Abbasi said that around 70,000 acres had become barren due to water shortage as only 100 tube wells were operational in Khairpur.

Referring to livestock schemes, MQM lawmaker Rehan Zafar suggested to the house that standing committees be given powers of monitoring the implementation of development projects.

PPP legislator Mir Hayat Talpur also spoke about water scarcity in his constituency of Mirpurkhas.

PPP lawmaker Ali Murad Rajar called for the implementation of Makkhi Dhand canal project.

Ayesha Khoso of the PPP was the last speaker of the day. In her speech, she expressed her anger over use of non-parliamentary words against women lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly. She said the entire house ought to condemn it.

She also indirectly referred to the unseating of Yousaf Raza Gilani when she said that conspiracies were hatched whenever efforts had been made to strengthen the parliament. In this context, she referred to the martyrdom of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and overthrown of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s governments.

The house, which Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza had called to order at 11.10am, rose for the day at 1.10pm to reassemble on Saturday at 9.30am to allow more lawmakers to participate in the general discussion.

It was agreed among leaders of the parliamentary parties to give approval of the budget on Monday.