KARACHI: The reconciliation between the Pakistan People’s Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement seen on Tuesday proved short-lived on Thursday when the treasury benches insisted on taking up for immediate consideration the Jinnah Sindh Medical University Bill, 2013 soon after its introduction through a supplementary order of the day. The bill was later passed into law unanimously by the members present in the house.

When the motion, moved by Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, was put before the house for dispensing with all relevant rules, it was carried with a majority of the members.

Even opposition members led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and belonging to the PML-Likeminded and National People’s Party sided with the treasury benches, leaving the MQM members alone to oppose the motion.

The house witnessed uproar and disturbances when, opposing the motion for consideration of the bill, the MQM members chanted slogans of ‘shame, shame’, ‘not acceptable, not acceptable, the illegal and incomplete bill not acceptable’, and staged a walkout.

Syed Sardar Ahmad objecting to the attitude of the treasury benches said that the bill, 16th of 2013, was brought forward after withdrawing bill 21 of 2012 on the same subject. He suggested to the treasury benches to defer its consideration for Monday as copies of the bill had been provided to the members only a few moments earlier and its 31 pages could not be read in such a short time.

Syed Faisal Sabzwari said copies of the bill were not given to all members. The bill had serious mistakes and it was not even read by the law minister but was being made a bone of contention. Its immediate consideration would be a mistake. Besides, justification for the withdrawal and replacement of it with a new bill on the subject was not made clear, he added.

This was not the right way to set up a university, he said and added: “Are we going to set up an educational institution or destroying education? We condemn this attitude as you are setting wrong precedents.”

Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro said in the past also bills were tabled according to the rules of business and after introduction taken into consideration. The law minister had already moved the motion and members were given ample time to raise objections.

He gave the floor to the law minister to speak on the general principles of the bill.

Education Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq said till Tuesday he was accused of opposing setting up a university in Hyderabad and they protested against it, “but now our friends are opposing the bill which is for establishing a university in Karachi”.

Dr Sagheer Ahmad said they were not opposed to the university but the way being adopted for consideration of the bill.

He said since morning it was being repeated that they had instructions from President Zardari to get the bill passed, but what the president said to them when conveyed, it was not being honoured. Terming the PPP members’ attitude incomprehensible, he said why MQM ministers’ resignations were not being accepted. “If you are not accepting our resignations, being the health minister and member in charge under Rule 98, my move to withdraw the bill be granted or our resignations be accepted,” he said.

He said suggesting amendments to other bills on Wednesday was in accordance with democratic norms which were rejected because of the opposition’s majority, and that was not the right way.

Mr Soomro said President Zardari had said nothing about the bill. The assembly was a legislative body and “we are here for legislation and you are at liberty to move amendments to bills”.

He said at a meeting in the Bilawal House in the presence of Governor Ishratul Ibad, President Zardari had suggested that the bill be taken up. The medical university was being established in Sindh, he said.

After the third reading when the bill was put before the house, it was passed into law unanimously as the MQM lawmakers were not present in the house and had earlier walked out in protest.

Bill No 15 of 2013 — The Shaheed Benazir Bhutto City University Bill, 2013 — which was put for consideration after its introduction was allowed by the house to defer its consideration for Monday on a motion of the law minister.

Earlier, Heer Ismail Soho of the MQM withdrew her privilege motion after Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah’s statement that all members in the house were equal and all funds of MPAs’ priority programme would be released soon.

PPP minority MPA Salim Khurshid Khokhar through his adjournment motion wanted to discuss Sections 295-B and 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code. He cited instances of victimisation and registration of cases against people who had sought amendment to the sections, including the murder of Governor Salman Taseer and Minister Shahbaz Bhatti and registration of a case against ex-MNA and ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman.

After it was opposed by the law minister on different accounts, including relating to more than one issues, the speaker quoting flaws in the motion ruled that it was inadmissible.

The house also unanimously adopted two resolutions pertaining to the revival of girls guide, national cadet course and civil defence and first aid training for all students of schools and colleges and for repealing sections of the PPC regarding corporal punishment and declared it as a punishable offence. These resolutions were moved by MQM MPA Bilqees Mukhtar and PPP MPA Shamim Ara Panhwar, respectively.

By a motion of Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the NPP, the role of Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro was appreciated for conducting the proceedings of the house during his tenure. The motion was also adopted unanimously.

After the conclusion of the business on the order of the day and adoption of resolutions presented under Rule 211, the chair who had called the house in order at 11.30am, called it a day at 2.45pm to reassemble on Monday at 10am.