KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Monday carried out legislation and other business on agenda as members of opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lodged a strong protest and later boycotted the proceedings after Opposition Leader Haleem Adil Sheikh was denied permission to speak over the arrest of party Senator Azam Swati by the provincial police.

While a very thinly-attended house was still taking up the business of call attention notices, the opposition leader got up from his seat pointing out that Usman Swati, the son of PTI’s detained senator, was present in the visitors’ gallery.

Welcoming the guest along with party lawmakers, he was trying to say something about the PTI senator, but Deputy Speaker Rehana Leghanti did not allow it, and told him he would be allowed to speak after the completion of agenda of the house.

The opposition leaders and other party lawmakers carrying placards left their seats and gathered in front of the rostrum as the deputy speaker turned off Sheikh’s microphone smoothing proceeding with the business.

The PTI members chanted slogans against the arrest of Senator Swati and demanded his immediate release before they left the house that was later adjourned to Tuesday (today).

No wheat stocks stolen, says minister

Parliamentary Affairs and Food Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla told the house that the government stocks of wheat had neither been stolen nor spoiled in the province and the claims of the opposition were completely false and baseless.

While furnishing statement and replies to the lawmakers’ written and verbal queries during Question Hour, he said that if the opposition was right in their allegations, they must bring some proof. “Our wheat is completely safe,” he added.

He said that only up to two per cent wheat had been damaged this year as a result of floods.

Replying to a verbal query by PTI parliamentary party leader Khurram Sher Zaman, the minister said that the wheat crisis had arisen in the country due to the wrong policies of the previous PTI government.

The PTI MPA had alleged that a huge amount of sacks of wheat were stolen and spoiled in the province.

Mr Chawla said that the provincial food department had secure warehouses for keeping 1.4 million sacks of wheat. “We have warehouses for 600,000 to 700,000 bags, while 500,000 to 600,000 bags are in open places with due protection,” he added.

To another supplementary question, the food minister said that there was a food crisis in Thar during 2018 and the provincial government had given 828,456 bags to the people in draught-hit areas.

When Mr Sher Zaman said that children were dying in Thar due to draught, Mr Chawla said that at present Thar was green and there was no food crisis. “Thar will make the whole of Pakistan prosperous”, he said referring to power generation plants at the Thar coalfield.

In reply to a question, the food minister said that there was no shortage of flour in Karachi. “Flour is available at official rates in every area of the city,” he claimed and added that 180 trucks were currently present all over Karachi.

Earlier, the session presided over by Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani started one hour and 10 minutes late.

Only one of the call attention notices on agenda was taken up as either the ministers concerned or the movers were not present in the house.

Non-functional medical college in Hyderabad

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan parliamentary party leader Rana Ansar said that 13 to 14 years had passed since the construction of medical college in Gulistan-i-Latifabad, Hyderabad.

“The building is ready, but the medical college is not yet functional,” she said and asked the provincial government as to when college would be made functional.

Parliamentary Secretary Siraj Qasim Soomro replied that this scheme had been transferred to the works and services department and the college would be inaugurated next year.

The house unanimously passed “The Sindh Metalliferous Mines Bill, 2021”.

Mineral and Mineral Development Minister Shabbir Bijarani also presented the report of the standing committee on the Mines and Mineral Amendment Bill. Later, the house approved the bill.

The Sindh Habitual Offenders Monitoring Bill, 2022 was also introduced in the house.

Besides, special report of Sindh House, Islamabad; special audit report of Sindh Coal Authority for financial years 2014-15 to 2016-17; report of Auditor General of Pakistan on the accounts of Public Sector Enterprises of Government of Sindh for the audit year 2019-20 and 2020-21 and special audit report on the accounts of Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) for the period 2012-13 to 2016-17 were also presented.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2022