HYDERABAD, June 21: Supporters of the district nazim manhandled Awam Dost Panel-backed members of the district council on Wednesday when they interrupted a speech of Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil.

The nazim was presenting the six-month report of the district government at a special session.

The agitating ADP-backed nazims were dragged out of the council hall.

The session began around 95 minutes late. After the recitation from the Holy Quran and Naat, the district council offered Fateha for 12 persons who died in a road accident on Tuesday, journalists Hayatullah and TV camera man Munir Sangi.

At the outset, ADP’s Yamin Soomro on a point of order said they had not been provided a copy of the agenda.

The convener asked the council officer to provide him a copy of the agenda and said that except for the presentation of report, no other business would be conducted in the council. He also said it was for the first time that any district nazim was presenting a report in the council.

“I request you not to interrupt the nazim when he delivers his speech,” he observed before inviting the nazim to present the report.

Even after the chair’s ruling, Yamin Soomro again rose and passed remarks against the nazim.

Ms Zahida Memon, who joined him, said nobody was ready to hear him because they (ADP members) were being ignored in development works and had been kept out of council’s monitoring committees.

Yamin Soomro, Zahida Memon continued passing remarks against the district government while Mehboob Abro joining the protest raised a paper sheet inscribed with “DC House and Dialdas Club are Centre of Culture; End Their Occupation, Release Umer Rajput from Torture Cell of EDO Revenue House”.

When the district nazim continued reading the written text, Mehboob Abro-led ADP members Yamin Soomro, Shafqat Shah and Abdullah Shoro unfolded a banner before the convener’s rostrum, raising slogans: “First Hear Us”.

The speech of the nazim became inaudible because the Haq Parast Group (HPG) members were beating desks and ADP members chanting slogans.

Haq Parast members Mohammad Ali Gohar, Raheel Rajoo, Amjad, Munawar Khan Zai, Haji Aslam and Rashid Khan left their seat and forced Yamin Soomro to close the banner, but he remained undeterred.

The situation took an unpleasant turn when they pushed Abro, Soomro and others out of the hall.

A small aluminium partition wall was smashed when Raheel Rajoo fell over it after being pushed by opponents. Hot words were exchanged between them outside the council hall where they grappled with each other, using abusive language.

Some members, however, intervened and separated them. The ADP members returned to the session, but only to stage a protest walk-out.

Mehboob Abro said this was not the way to run the session and alleged that the district nazim had planned to throw them out of the session. He also said that no development work was taking place.

The chair regretted the rumpus and attributed it to lack of understanding of members of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO) 2001.