Over 300 educational buildings to remain under Rangers control: Sindh Assembly told

Over 300 education institutions' building in Sindh would remain under the occupation of Pakistan Rangers for a further indefinite period, as Sindh Home Department on Thursday expressed its helplessness to get the institutions vacated due to lack of alternate accommodations for the paramilitary force. Sindh Excise and Taxation Department is considering to change the business time of liquor shops from the present 11am to 9pm to 2pm to 9pm sharp.
"Yes I make a confession that...Rangers, who are our security guards and have come to Sindh on our request, occupy over 300 (educational) buildings, as we don't have enough resources to accommodate them," Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza told Sindh Assembly on Thursday.
He said this when Humera Alwani expressed concern that at least 140 public premises, like schools, hospitals, rest houses etc, were occupied by the law enforcers and were, therefore, not serving the real purpose of their development.
The PPP leader also drew attention of the house towards the Wednesday night's theft incident at the historical Makli Graveyard in District Thatta where the looters had taken away precious stones and other historical valuables.
While Law Minister Ayaz Soomro outrightly denying what he said Alwani's media-reports-based statement asking her for a "solid proof", the home minister confessed it with a clarification that no occupation of public institutes had taken place during the period of incumbent government.
Mirza, however, said the instructive places would be vacated only when alternative arrangements for their stationing are made or their mission in Sindh end. About theft of the province's heritage, he said it was an organised plot to vanish the culture of Sindh, but police could not watch each and every door of the country and the concerned departments should also be mindful of such incidents.
Shama Mithani, expressing solidarity with the women of militancy-hit Swat, said a military operation was destroying maternity homes, schools and other facilities along with the women and children casualties in the name of collateral damage. MQM's Zareen Majeed backed by Shama Mithani lashed out at KESC for its recent back-breaking raise in power tariff, the fast-running but "failed" meters and rampant electricity breakdowns. Earlier, Faisal Sabzwari of MQM reaffirmed his party's support to PPP on, what he said, the ever-unpopular Kalabagh Dam project.
The reconciliatory climate in provincial legislature turned tense when Syed Sardar Ahmed of MQM warned his coalition partners in Sindh Assembly against repeating talks of the past government, of which MQM was an active partner. "If we did not stop referring to the past the debate may go too far," he said urging the need to maintain the present conciliatory environment in the house.
The senior MQM leader's comments came in response to a heated debate, involving opposition leader Jam Madad Ali, Arif Mustafa Jatoi and Irrigation Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, on the issue of Kalabagh Dam and responsiveness of the present and previous governments towards opposition's queries during Question Hour. The deputy speaker also supported Ahmed and asked the house not to make reference to the past, arguing that the people had themselves done justice to the wrongdoers.
Responding to supplementary questions of the members during Question Hour, Excise and Taxation Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla told the house that excise department was working on a plan to change the timings for opening of liquor shops in the province.
He said the present shop opening time (11am to 9pm) was coinciding with the timings of schools, located near these shops, that was not an appropriate phenomenon from moral point of view. He said the plan would be implemented after approval of a summary, which he said, would be sent shortly to the Chief Minister. Due to time restraint, caused by a 135-minute late start of the house proceedings at 12:15pm, the deputy speaker adjourned the house at 2:30pm till Friday (February 13 at 9:30am.).