Sindh Assembly on Friday strongly condemned the publication of blasphemous cartoons in newspapers in Denmark and other European countries The Assembly, which met here at 10 am with Deputy Speaker Rahila Tiwana in the chair, unanimously passed resolution condemning the blasphemous sketches, while the opposition stayed away.
The resolution was earlier moved by Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim and other members from the treasury side and discussed by members in a previous sitting.
The resolution condemned the attitude of the countries where the blasphemous act was committed and said that despite strong protests they neither apologised nor refrained from committing such act.
Those members spoke on the resolution today include Provincial Ministers Syed Sardar Ahmed, Irfanullah Khan Marwat, Sardar Nadir Akmal Leghari, Chaudhry Iftekhar Ahmed, Rajvir Singh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Mohammed Hussain, minority MPA Poonjo Mal and Jam Madad Ali.
The House adopted the resolution unanimously after the discussion was over.
The opposition members, who too, had moved resolutions on this issue, did not attend the session and remained away in response to strike call for today.
Speaking on a point of order Provincial Minister Irfanullah Khan Marwat pointed out that the opposition requisitioned the session but they themselves are absent although this important issue should have been discussed by them.
He recalled that in the last session too, many of their members did not attend the session and if the treasury members had not come to the House, they would not have been able to make up for the quorum.
He said the opposition was only politicising a noble objective to launch an anti-government campaign for which no ground or material exists. They want to exploit the sentiments of Muslims against the government. But, the people have the awareness to distinguish between protest against blasphemy and movement against the government and would not allow it.
"We will continue to protest against the blasphemous act till the countries where the cartoons were published offer apology and also give a commitment not to repeat the same", the minister said.
Meanwhile, the Assembly allowed one-month extension in the date for submission of report by the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges.
The House granted extension on a motion moved by Sindh Planning Minister Shoaib Ahmed Bukhari.
The reports were to be made in respect of 14 Privilege motions of MPAs Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Murad Ali Shah, Mir Muhammed Hassan Talpur, Ali Nawaz Shah, Asif Ali Shah, Hafiz Muhammed Naeem, Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Humera Alwani Abdul Sattar Ansari, Muhammed Yunus Barai and Dr Nasrullah Baluch.
The House on a motion by Law Minister Chaudhry Iftekhar Ahmed deferred the consideration of a government resolution regarding legislation on protection of plant breeders rights till next session.
The Assembly was informed that no welfare fund for helping needy and deserving sportsmen for their medical treatment etc exists in the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs and Sindh Sports Board.
In this context even no funds were released to any needy sportsmen, said Sindh Minister for Sports Qamar Mansoor while replying to a question of Muhammed Ayaz Soomro during question hour.
However, he informed, Rs 55,000 were distributed among Shaman Shah (Malh), Mehrunnisa w/o Mohammed Ali Shah (Cricket Coach), Sikandar Mazari (Malh) and Meval Shah (Malh) during the year 2003-04.
To a question of Shazia Atta Muhammed Marri, the sports minister said the Sindh government had prepared eight schemes for construction of Sports Studio in the province at an estimated cost of Rs 377.248 million and these were with the Planning and Development Department for approval.
The Assembly set a new record when entire agenda before the House was disposed off.
However, legislative business was not taken up in the absence of opposition, which did not attend today's session in response to strike call against publication of blasphemous sketches.
Rahila Tiwana announced the governor's assent to two bills - The Ziauddin Medical University (Amendment) Bill, 2003 and the Indus Institute of Higher Education Bill, 2004.
The House deferred consideration of two motions for leave to withdraw a Bill to further amend the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001 and a Bill to further amend the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in its application to the Province of Sindh.
Law Minister Chaudhry Iftekhar Ahmed moved a motion seeking laying of five Ordinances, which was allowed by the House.
THE ORDINANCES LAID WERE:
(1) Sindh Ordinance No XV of 2005 to further amend the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001,
(2) Sindh Ordinance No XVI of 2005 further to amend the Societies Registration Act, 1660 in its application to the Province of Sindh,
(3) Sindh Ordinance No XVII of 2005 to repeal the Sindh Regional Plan Organisation Act, 1976,
(4) Sindh Ordinance No XVIII, to further amend the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Ordinance, 2001 and the Dow University of Health Sciences Act, 2004, and,
(5) Sindh Ordinance No I of 2006 to prohibit, manufacture, sale and use of black polythene bags including bags below 30 micron thickness in the province. The House referred consideration of six government bills to respective house committees with the directive to submit their reports within one month.
THESE BILLS WERE:
(1) A Bill to amend the Removal from Service (Special Powers) Sindh Ordinance, 2000.
(2) A bill to provide for the establishment of an Institute at Karachi known as the Pakistan Institute of Management,
(3) A Bill to provide for the establishment of an Institute known as the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences, Gambat,
(4) A Bill to amend the Sindh Cotton Control Ordinance, 1966,
(5) The Sindh Transfusion Safe Blood (Amendment) Bill, 2005,
(6) The Sindh Health Institutions (Establishment and Management) Bill, 2005.
The consideration of two government resolutions was also deferred.
One resolution was regarding amendment in the Seed Act, 1976 moved by Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs and the second was regarding disapproval of Sindh Ordinance No 1 of 2006 - The Sindh Prohibition on manufacture, sale and use of polythene bags ordiancen 2006 given notice by Shazia Atta Mohammed Marri, MPA.
The Deputy Speaker announced prorogation of the session as, she said, the opposition was not interested in the business on the agenda.
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