The resolution moved by the opposition under rule 14(1) to remove Speaker Sindh Assembly Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah averted as neither of the treasury and opposition voted for. Members of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal attended the proceedings for a while in the morning before leaving the House. At the end of the day, the session was prorogued sine die. MPA Mohammed Hussein was in the chair while Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim remained in the House throughout the proceedings.
The assembly met on Thursday with a single point agenda to consider motion for leave to move a resolution under rule 14(1) of the rules of procedure of the provincial assembly of Sindh for removal of Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah as speaker, provincial assembly of Sindh. More than 30 members of the opposition had submitted motions seeking leave to move the resolution.
At the end of the outcome of the opposition's resolution when it finally got averted, the Sindh law Minister Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed found it appropriate to move a motion under rule 211 for the relaxation of provision under rule 103, so that a resolution on behalf of the treasury to show its confidence in the speaker could be moved.
The other signatories to this resolution were Finance Minister Syed Sardar Ahmed, Irrigation Minister Nadir Akmal Leghari and Social Welfare Minister Dr Sohrab Sarki. The treasury claimed there were 92 votes in the favour and none against.
The resolution read as " that this house expresses its full confidence in the speaker, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, who is an outstanding speaker and has conducted the proceedings of the house in fair, impartial manner, and in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh."
This resolution was adopted with majority votes. The assembly session began at 10:00 am, and immediately after the recitation from the Holy Qur'an and Na'at Sharif, the motion for leave to move the resolution came up for discussion and placed before the house for voting. The house adopted the motion with 59 votes in favour.
Though the resolution was drafted differently by 30 movers but in the essence it said "This assembly resolves that the speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussein Shah abuses the power vested in his office by consistent partiality leading to stifling of the opposition in this August House. He should therefore immediately be removed."
After ascertaining the admissibility of the motion and the resolution, the house decided to grant 10 minutes to all the movers of the resolution and five minutes to others willing to speak on the subject. But, before the House could reach this decision, it took the legislators half of the day to settle down and proceed further.
The chairman finding no agreement even among the opposition on the allotment of time said in any case the discussion would have to come to an end by 3:00 pm.
The law minister moved a motion under rule 211 for the relaxation of all rules seeking permission to move a resolution. He moved a resolution the balloting should be held at 3:00 pm. The house adopted this resolution by head count 93 votes in favour to 59 votes against the resolution.
When the speeches came to an end and time for balloting came, Law Minister Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed said the treasury did not feel like casting votes; as the opposition had moved the resolution, it was its responsibility to show simple majority, 85 members in the house of 168 members, by going through secret balloting.
Defending the stand taken by the treasury members Chief Minister Rahim said, "Secret balloting means vote according to ones conscience and many would not like to vote against the speaker. The secret ballot would expose all claims of the opposition. It is this reason opposition is not coming to ballot box." The opposition did not agree to this suggestion. The assembly secretary called their names thrice but none of them went for casting his vote.
Chairman Hussein found the situation a little bit tricky as the members of the opposition had surrounded his desk and were insisting for casting vote once the roll call had come to an end. But it was too late for them, as the Chairman did not permit the opposition to go for the "mockery of the session" and read out the result.
In his announcement, the Chairman said there were votes neither against nor in favour of the resolution, therefore, the resolution stands rejected by the House. The opposition has failed to prove its simple majority in the House.
As long as the session remained in progress worst kind of rowdyism, indiscipline and chaos could be seen. The speakers concentrated less on the issue and more on trivialities that resulted in wastage of time. Wild accusation such as indecent behaviour, coarse method of addressing the members, humiliating attitude toward female members and lack of respect to differing point of views of the opposition provided material for speeches to the opposition. At the same time the treasury gave argument in support of speaker and said the speaker was the best among the other sitting speakers of the three other provincial assemblies.
He is well read, well behaved, and well informed and an experienced legislator. The assembly is proud of him. These were generally the ingredients of speeches from the treasury members.
They said it were Syed Muzaffar Hussein Shah who had taken all the members together and run the assembly successfully during the past 30 months.
Female members of the opposition were more critical of Shah and said they were the raw material, which should have been chiselled and shaped by the speaker and converted into proper legislators. They said instead of helping he humiliated us and at times treated us as his tenants.
They said their experience with him was bitter and he had failed in upholding the good principles of democracy and of decency. It would be in the interest of the assembly if he is removed and replaced by someone better. Treasury members asked the opposition to propose Shah's alternative so that he could be compared with him.
The speaker in his defence quoted from the assembly proceeding and said that he had been polite with all the members. He said contrary to the previous speakers coming from different party affiliations, he had been accommodating as far as the opposition was concerned. "During these 30 months, I have accommodated dozens of point of orders, adjournment motions and other similar requests which in no other assembly could be seen."
He said the assembly should be supported and all efforts to avoid derailment of the hard-won democracy should be made. I am a human being and could make mistakes but we should develop a sense of accommodation for each other and work jointly for the betterment of the province.
He said that he would not let the assembly become hostage to hooliganism. "In all circumstances I would run it according to rule of procedure," he added.
Those who spoke on the resolution included from the opposition Rafique Engineer, Humaira Alwani, Zahid Ali Bhurgari, Murad Ali Shah, Ayaz Soomro, Sassi Palejo, Farheen Moughal, Shazia Marri, Makhdoom Jamiluzzaman, Mehreen Bhutto, Nuzhat Pathan. From the treasury benches Irfanullah Marwat, Faisal Sabzwari, Ihsan Jatoi, Mustafa Kamal, Dr Saeeda Malik, Sultan Khawar, Bilqees Mukhtar, Dr Hamida Khuhro, Syed Sadaruddin Shah and Kunwar Naveed addressed the house.