KARACHI: Amid absence of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) members, the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday once again condemned the May 9 violent activities in the aftermath of Imran Khan’s arrest and demanded strict action against the top party leadership.

A resolution, tabled by Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) parliamentary party leader Mufti Muhammad Qasim Fakhri, was well supported by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA).

Speaking on the resolution, the TLP lawmaker said that not only the properties of Pakistanis were damaged, but the Corps Commander’s House in Lahore was also targeted. “For the first time, not only the army was attacked, but defence installations were also damaged,” he added.

He alleged that the PTI workers resorted to violence and damaged private and public properties on May 9 at the behest of their chairman. He said that for the very first time any political party attacked the military’s installations. “Jinnah House was ransacked as well as private properties were damaged,” he added.

PPP, MQM-P and GDA lawmakers support resolution in absence of PTI member

The TLP leader also demanded that the PTI be banned and action be taken against the perpetrators including Imran Khan.

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani put the resolution before the house for voting and it was unanimously adopted as none of the members present there opposed it.

Monument for plane crash victims

The assembly unanimously passed another resolution moved by MQM-P’s parliamentary party leader Rana Ansar, demanding that a monument be built to commemorate the victims of the plane crash on May 22, 2020 in Karachi.

Ms Ansar, whose husband Ansar Ali Naqvi was among the passengers and crew who died in the crash, said her husband was returning home from Lahore after a long time due to Covid-19 restrictions. She asked all the members to support the resolution.

Speaking on the resolution, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla said that it was a great tragedy and the provincial government supported the resolution.

He said the place where the MQM-P lawmaker suggested a monument fell within the jurisdiction of a cantonment and the provincial government would approach the relevant authority in that regard.

Speaking on the resolution, MQM-P MPA Muhammad Hussain Khan said the memorial should have been built at the official level before the tabling of the resolution.

The house passed the resolution unanimously.

‘KE’s licence should not be extended’

Separately, speaking on a point of order, MPA Syed Abdur Rasheed of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) said K-Electric’s (KE) distribution licence was about to expire and the power utility had asked the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to extend it for the next 20 years.

He suggested that a unanimous resolution should be adopted to ask the federal government not to renew the distribution licence.

The MPA said that during the last 18 years, the KE failed to increase the generation, adding that it received power from the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) and provided to the people of Karachi at exorbitant prices.

“The K-Electric has to pay back around Rs64 billion to the consumers in the head of excessive billing return, yet it is blackmailing the public in the name of non-payment,” he alleged.

The MMA lawmaker demanded that instead of allowing monopoly of one power company others should also be given a chance for the betterment of Karachi.

Later, the speaker adjourned the sitting to Wednesday (today).

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2023