The acting speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Rahila Tiwana, taking advantage of the pandemonium, jointly caused by the treasury and the opposition members over the controversy on a substantive motion, prorogued the session sine die only after 35 minutes of the beginning of the proceedings on Monday.
The session, scheduled at 9:30 am, began at 11:45 am with the recitation from the Holy Quran followed by Naat Sharif and prayers for the departed souls of political activists, relations and unknown victims of terrorism and other crimes.
Ghazala, a prominent Naat Khawan and a regular guest at Mahafil-e-Milad, recited the Naat. It is for the first time since the Sindh Assembly has come into existence that a woman has recited Naat. Ghazala has become the first woman, who has ever recited Naat in the National Assembly or in any provincial assemblies of Pakistan.
Members of the MMA opposed the presence of Rahila Tiwana and walked out of the house. They did not come back till the session was prorogued.
To keep the temper cool and to begin the proceedings in a peaceful manner, Law Minister Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed, after seeking permission from the chair, felicitated Syed Qaim Ali Shah on his assuming the responsibilities of president of the Sindh PPP.
He said that it was encouraging to see a senior parliamentarian and seasoned politician assuming the responsibilities of a political party.
He said he would expect him to help functioning of the assembly in a smooth manner.
Tiwana congratulated Shah on her and on behalf of her colleagues on the assumption of the president-ship of the Sindh PPP.
Shah thanked treasury members and said he would do his utmost in facilitating smooth functioning of the assembly.
On a point of order Leader of the Opposition Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said the session should begin on time. This is the routine of the members of coming to the assembly late and begins session late by two hours and some time by two-and-a-half-hour. This practice needed change, he added.
He said that the pointation of Mohammed Hussain of the late coming of the opposition in the hall was not all correct. "There are instances when the treasury members came to this house more than two hours late to attend the session. Even they have not observed punctuality of their convened session.
In the meantime, Khuhro referred to a substantive motion that he had submitted only two days ago and asked the chair to suspend all other business and discuss the substantive motion.
The treasury insisted to restrict proceedings to the agenda and let there be completion of seven days before the substantive motion came up for discussion.
The discussion on the suggestion of the opposition to take up the substantive motion and the resistance of the treasury members turned into a heated exchange of argument. It was a complete chaos and none of the members showed the courtesy of hearing to his colleague.
Tiwana after giving them warning that if the decency did not come back to the house and order was not restored she would prorogue the session.
The members did not listen to her. She prorogued the session sine die at about 12:30 pm.
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