The opposition legislators on Friday outnumbered the treasury members with a higher attendance during the Sindh Assembly session, reflecting the lack of interest by the ruling PPP lawmakers in legislations. The house started off with shouts by opposition that eventually forced the PPP-backed Speaker Aga Siraj Khan Durrani to spur the proceedings, who wound up a 14-point business agenda of the assembly within 40 minutes. The hasty speaker fumbled for the right words and adjourned the house till next Tuesday morning instead of Monday.
The opposition continued to indicate the lack of quorum in the house and asked the speaker to stop the proceedings instead of speeding up since the ruling PPP lawmakers were few in attendance. But, the powerful speaker told the shouting opposition outright "I know, don't tell me". At one point, the number of opposition lawmakers was 24 as compared to 17 of ruling PPP attending the house. However, the speaker did not heard the opposition calls who were shouting 'no, no' to the assembly proceedings. The opposition lawmakers gathered before the speaker's rostrum and continued high-pitched shouts, asking Durrani as what had forced him to speed up the proceedings amid low turnout.
The Speaker had turned off his microphone and entangled in remonstration with PML-F's legislator Shaharyar Khan Mehar and exchanged strong words with him. Mehar was telling the speaker to stop violating laws by hasting the proceedings with a low attendance by his own party's lawmakers.
Amid the opposition clamor, the Sindh Environment and Coastal Development Minister, Dr Sikandar Mandhro began replying to questions of the legislators on behalf of Chief Minister Sindh, who holds Sindh Welfare Department portfolio, telling the house that the government had held back funds in 2011-12 to the department under Child Protection Act.
He responded that the 17 centers for disabled persons were functional in the province of which 12 catered for the children and five for adults. He said that the department never provided funds to the NGOs on a permanent basis. The opposition insisted on pointing at lack of quorum but none of the treasury lawmakers responded.
In the noise gripped house, Dr Mandhro presented an editor general's audit reports and tabled the Sindh Minimum Wages Bill 2015. The house also postponed several presentations of standing committees of the assembly. Latter, Aga Siraj Durrani told reporters that the house would meet on Monday morning at 10 am. Latter, the opposition members submitted a joint condemnation resolution against Speaker Aga Siraj Durrani with carry signatures of PTI, PML-F, PML-N and MQM lawmakers. The resolution says the speaker had violated sections I, II and III of rule 229 of the assembly procedures.
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