KARACHI: Calling the Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2021 against the spirit of devolution of power to grassroots level, the opposition parties in Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously rejected the provincial government’s bill and vowed to challenge the move of the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government in the apex court.

The opposition leaders said the legislation, which they termed a black law, would “deprive local governments of their core functions and authorities” and warned that it could also take to the streets against the proposed law.

The announcement from the opposition parties came at their joint press conference led by Opposition Leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh, which was held minutes after the bill had been tabled in the Sindh Assembly.

The opposition leaders gathered at the media corner of the Sindh Assembly building and shared sketchy details about their future protest plan.

Vows to challenge ‘black law’ in court

“This bill negates the Article 140-A of the Constitution,” said Mr Sheikh flanked by leaders of other opposition parties including of Kanwar Naveed Jameel of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Hasnain Mirza of Grand Democratic Alliance, Abdul Rasheed and dozens of opposition members of the assembly.

“Now everyone has come to know that why the PPP wanted to keep its draft secret. They were guilty conscious because they knew that they had violated the Constitution, defied the democratic norms and crushed the every tradition of values. Till the last moment and even secretary of the assembly was not provided with copies of the bill. From assembly to court, we would raise this issue everywhere.”

He referred to the rules of the house according to which, the draft of the bill was supposed to be presented to legislators two days before tabling it in the house so that they could provide their inputs.

He accused the PPP government of using the ‘backdoor’ to present the bill in the house while bulldozing rules and regulations.

“There’s a dictatorship in the Sindh Assembly. The opposition has been silenced forcibly and after removing the opposition from the crucial Public Accounts Committee and the standing committees, the members of the opposition have practically been deprived of the status of legislators,” he added.

‘Robbery to snatch local bodies’ powers’

Kunwar Naveed Jamil of the MQM-P called the bill presented by the treasury benches a ‘robbery’ and an attempt to snatch powers from the local bodies’ representatives only to give monopoly to the PPP’s provincial government even in municipal affairs.

He warned that his party would call meeting of its leaders and it could take to the street for protest if the PPP government insisted to stick with the same bill.

“That’s tantamount to injustice to the people of Sindh,” he said. “The bill was laid in the house without taking opposition in confidence and not allowing open discussion on the bill. The amendment to LG Act will pave the way for secret balloting for election of Mayor or chairmen of LG bodies. This would lead to horse-trading and in fact this particular amendment was made to open new opportunity for the PPP members. We have kept our options open and if things are not changed, you may see us on roads in protest against this bill.”

Parliamentary leader of GDA Hasnain Mirza blamed the PPP of imposing “civil dictatorship” in Sindh thwarting democratic process in the assembly.

He said that the rules of the assembly required prior notice for moving a bill so that members of assembly could be given time to present their suggestions.

“We are elected representatives of people of Sindh and it is our responsibility to protect rights and interests of masses,” he said appealing to the Supreme Court to take notice of the “PPP’s way of governance where all the rule and norms of democracy are being violated”.

He said that the bill was aimed at promoting horse trading and corrupt practices in local government elections.

The JI MPA Abdur Rasheed said the PPP had started rigging elections even before announcing the local bodies’ elections and called the fresh bill in the Sindh Assembly ‘beginning of horse trading.

The process of devolution of power to grassroots level, he said, must culminate in the upcoming LG elections.

“We have always demanded and again make it clear that Karachi Development Authority, Sindh Building Control Authority, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, Solid Waste Management and other civic services should be transferred to local government institutions,” he said.

The PPP government, he said, was in deep fear of losing the local bodies’ elections in all major urban centres of Sindh that it had started using its provincial assembly to legalise all “illegal moves” which included control of municipal agencies and institutions.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2021