The Sindh Assembly session on Thursday began at 11:40 am amid panic among the members due to a bomb hoax and frightening telephone call regarding a bomb planted in the building. The session ended on a note of warning Speaker Muzaffar Hussain Shah gave to PPP MPA Ghulam Qadir Chandio to behave in the House. A hoax telephone call received in the office of Deputy Speaker Rahila Tiwana a bomb had been planted somewhere in the building and it would blast anytime.
The call received at about 11:00 am communicated to all those who were in the building to vacate the entire premises and move to a place of safety. The members, majority of them was women, assembled at the lawn of the assembly premises and some of them chose to go back to their homes.
At about 11:35 am the bomb disposal squad gave clearance as nothing was found after a through checking of each nook and corner of the building. The session began at 11:40 am.
The proceedings continued in a smooth manner till 2:30 pm when on a point of order after a motion had been moved to relax rules to consider the bill to amend certain laws relating to the private universities and educational institutes in force in the province. PPP MPA Ghulam Qadir Chandio insisted the Speaker should listen to his views on an important matter and later take up the bill.
The speaker tried to explain him the provisions of the rule of business to which Chandio ignored and continued to press his point. Along with him his colleagues joined him and it created chaos in the House.
The speaker tried to maintain discipline in the House but in vain.
He said, "I warn you Mr Chandio to maintain discipline in the house. You have interrupted the proceedings and refused to listen to the speaker. I warn you on your behaviour and adjourn the House to meet again on Friday at 9:30 am."
Earlier, the House admitted two government bills seeking amendment in the Sindh Civil Servant Act 1973, deferred one bill seeking to provide for the establishment of an institute known as the Sindh Institute of Trauma, Orthopaedics Karachi and deferred one Ordinance to provide for the establishment of an institute at Karachi known as the Indus Institute of Higher Education.
During question hour Education Minister Dr Hamida Khuhro informed the House there were 317 schools in district Badin that were lying closed for want of teaching staff. She said steps had been taken to appoint teachers and make those schools operational.
She accepted there were mistakes in the textbooks produced by the Sindh Text Book Board and those would be corrected.
On pointation of Shama Mithani that the City Nazim Karachi had issued notices to all those schools that were functioning in the residential areas to close down or get their properties classified as commercial. She said if the schools were closed down it would adversely affect students for no fault of theirs.
She asked the minister to communicate the feelings of the members of the Sindh Assembly to the City Nazim Karachi.
To another question from Mohammed Rafique Advocate the minister said the government of Sindh realising the fact that private schools were charging higher fees had amended the registration ordinance which empowers the government to approve and check the fees structure of the private institutions. To implement the amendment rules were under preparation.
She said in 1998 Government of Sindh had issued notification according to which 10 percent free-ship (free of charge tuition and admission) to talented students belonging to the low income group in all privately managed educational institutes had been re-issued.
To a question from Humaira Alwani the minister said 1297 schools without buildings were functioning in Thatta.
However, she did not tell whether these schools would ever be rehabilitated in pucka construction.
Khuhro explained to the House the Sindh Textbook Board had committed mistakes and efforts were being made to overcome shortcomings of the Board.