KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan lawmaker Rana Ansar on Thursday created history by becoming the first-ever woman parliamentary party leader in the Sindh Assembly, replacing Kanwar Naveed Jameel, who is currently bed-ridden due to some illness.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle congratulated Ms Ansar on her selection for the slot.

Female MPAs belonging to the ruling Pakistan Peoples’ Party came to the opposition benches to greet the newly-appointed MQM-P parliamentary party leader.

The Speaker expressed the hope that she would perform her duties with full dedication and hard work.

House gets first-ever woman parliamentary party leader as MQM-P chooses Rana Ansar for the slot

It was yet another private members’ day without any legislative business, including presentation of private bills and resolutions.

The resolutions intended to be presented by private members included the one that urged the provincial government to replace weekly holiday of Sunday with Friday so that people could perform their important religious obligation.

Likewise, ‘The Sindh Timely Commencement of Laws Bill, 2019’; ‘The Sindh (Repeal of the Police Act, 1861 and Revival of Police Order 2002) (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019; ‘The Sindh Education Standards and Curriculum (Amendment) Bill, 2018’; and ‘The Sindh Advisors (Appointments, Powers, Functions, Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) (Amendment) Bill, 2019 were also not taken up as the Speaker adjourned the house to Friday well before completion of the agenda.

PTI members

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmakers kept attending the assembly session despite submitting their resignations to their parliamentary party leader Khurram Sher Zaman as directed by their party chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan.

PTI lawmakers, including Mr Zaman, not only attended the session on Thursday, but also took part in the business.

Earlier, speaking to the media, Mr Zaman said that Imran Khan had summoned MPAs from Sindh on Saturday and that he had already said that now the PTI would form Sindh government after the next elections.

“We have to free Sindh from Zardari,” he added.

Question Hour

While furnishing statement and replies of the lawmakers’ written and verbal queries, Excise and Taxation Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawala said that the number of registered vehicles owned by the provincial government was 11,623.

Responding to another question, he said there were 16,038 minibuses and 1,279,345 cars in the province.

In reply to yet another question, he said that as many as 59,228 cars, 173 buses and 72,895 motorcycles were registered during the fiscal year 2018-2019 in Karachi.

He said only two cars and 72,895 motorbikes were registered in Hyderabad, adding that no bus was registered in the city in 2018-19.

Mr Chawala said that the action against illegal blue lights and fake government number plates was the responsibility of the traffic police. However, he added, excise and taxation department frequently conducted road checking campaigns on a quarterly basis to collect motor vehicle tax dues from the defaulting vehicles.

Replying to a question, the minister said that welfare organisations doing charitable work do pay taxes, except motor vehicle tax, property tax and infrastructure cess, which were not collected from them.

Later, the session was adjourned till Friday.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2022