The lawmakers from PPP in Sindh Assembly on Tuesday asked their coalition partners in Balochistan to mind their own business, as MQM condemned the passage of a PML-Q and ANP initiated resolution in Balochistan Assembly accusing the Movement of "creating troubles for Pukhtoons in Karachi."
On the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari, Sindh government has decided to increase the "reasonable compensation" for policemen from Rs 0.5 million to Rs 2 million in case of their martyrdom in the line of duty, Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza told the provincial legislature during Question Hour.
Balochistan Assembly on March 21 unanimously passed a resolution that called upon the federal government to ask Sindh government to take note of the alleged MQMs threats to Pukhtoons to leave Karachi.
The resolution, moved by Jaffer Mandokhel of PML-Q, Sultan Khan Tarin of ANP, Molvi Abdul Bari, Rubina Irfan and Captain Abdul Khaliq Achakzai (Retd), had asked the MQM to change its anti-Pukhtoon stance which, they warned, would have negative impact on national solidarity.
"As the issue is very sensitive we would have to behave patiently until we get complete information from Balochistan," Senior Minister Pir Mazharul Haque said when MQMs Syed Khalid Ahmed took the floor to table a condemnation resolution against the Saturdays move in Balochistan Assembly.
According to the PPP parliamentary leader the Chief Minister Sindh had asked his counterpart in the south-western province to mind his own business and not to be concerned about the affairs of Sindh.
MQMs Syed Sardar Ahmed terming the development as "sensitive" announced to postpone debate on the issue until next session when, he hoped, the complete details would be available. "This should not have happened and no party should be defamed in this way," he urged. Syed Khalid Ahmed, blasting movers of the resolution by their names, demanded of the house to demand the Balochistan Assembly to expunge the anti-MQM words from its Saturdays proceedings.
He said some people were not happy with the coalition government driven by a reconciliatory spirit in Sindh and the centre.
Earlier, The Sindh Assembly through unanimous resolution paid homage to PPPs Rehbar Chairperson Nusrat Bhutto on her 80th birthday on March 23 in recognition of her "undaunted stand and unceasing struggle against tyranny." The resolution lauded the ailing wife of PPPs founder the late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto for her leadership during times of acute crises, besides acknowledging the innumerable sacrifices/losses she had made/incurred in the struggle for democratic rule in Pakistan.
Syed Sardar Ahmed, Rafique Engineer, Pir Mazharul Haque, Amir Nawab Khan, Shamim Ara Panhwar, Muzaffar Shujra, Anwar Mehar, Razzak Rahimoo, Abid Jatoi, Shazia Marri, Humera Alwani, Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto and Law Minister Ayaz Soomro highlighted various aspects of Nusrat Bhuttos challenging life. During Question Hour Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza told the house that the government had allocated Rs 1 billion as an initial budget to materialise the E-Policing plan, under which the record of a sufficient number of police stations had been computerised.
To a query he said the Home Department to curb the usage/issuance of unregistered SIMs had asked the cellular companies to deliver SIMs to the applicants at their postal address. He also categorically rejected the impression that the government had ever reached a deal of whatsoever nature with the criminal elements, like the Lyari based Rehman Dacoit, Arshad Puppoo etc.
Meanwhile, Arif Mustafa Jatoi of NPP under Rule 215 sought latest updates from Mirza on the acid-burnt murder case of Maria Shah. The home minister replied that the accused had been challaned for the murder case.
Minister for Jails Muzaffar Ali Shujra said on Presidents directives budget had been allocated for the construction of new prisons in Sindh province to avoid over-crowding in the existed jails. Nusrat Sehar Abbasi of PML-F, on a point of order, demanded that instead of the poor people the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) should collect Rs 1 daily from the 1.8 million vehicles in the city as utility charges for using the city infrastructure.
She termed the city governments utility charges as a burden on the masses who, she said, were already breathing hard under the ever-increasing inflation. Despite being a private members day the PPP-dominated Sindh Assembly did not take up the on-agenda resolutions, carrying important issues, like NFC Award, Provincial Autonomy Bill etc, for discussion on Tuesday, the 72nd gathering of the provincial lawmakers. Later, the deputy speaker on behalf of Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan prorogued the session for an indefinite period.