Declaring the birthplace of Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) slain leader Benazir Bhutto a national heritage, Sindh Assembly on Monday demanded of the federal government to direct Indus River System Authority (Irsa) to distribute water strictly in accordance with the 1991 Water Accord that provides for an "all Pakistan" based water sharing formula in case of shortage.
The provincial legislators, who assembled here at Sindh Assembly Building under the chairmanship of Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro at 11:20am, unanimously nodded to a treasury's resolution calling upon the federal government to fix the 40 kilogram price of paddy at Rs 700 instead of Rs 600.
Further, with the MQM harbouring some legality-related reservations over the proposed legislation, the PPP-dominated provincial assembly also passed a resolution that called for declaring "Pinto Hospital", the birthplace of Benazir Bhutto here in Soldier Bazaar, as a national monument to pay tributes to the PPP leader, who, what the speakers from two divides of the house said, had ultimately sacrificed her life in a brave struggle for democracy.
While the lawmakers could not take up, what most of the analysts believe, the controversial Sindh Building Control (Amendment) Bill, 2009 for consideration and deferred it till Friday, Law Minister Ayaz Soomro tabled the Sugar Factories Control (Sindh Amendment) Bill, 2009 in the house with some members, including Shazia Marri, suggesting the word "Factories" be replaced with the more relevant word "mills".
According to a resolution, which was tabled by Dr Sikandar Ali Mandhro of PPP, the provincial government should approach Islamabad for making it mandatory for Irsa, which is due to meet today (Tuesday) to allocate water share of the all federating units for the current Rabi Season, to respect the 1991 Water Accord.
"The Sindh Assembly recommends to the Sindh government to approach the federal government to direct Irsa to distribute water strictly in accordance with Water Accord of 1991" that says "shortages (if any) shall be with reference to Para 2 allocation of the Accord," said the resolution adding the "shortages shall be shared on all Pakistan basis in accordance with the 10 daily statements which are part and parcel of the 1991 Water Accord".
Another resolution that was moved by Munawar Ali Abbasi recommended to the federal government "to fix the price of paddy crop at Rs 700 per 40kg instead of Rs 600 as fixed by the federal government earlier. It further demanded that Islamabad should also ask the Passco to open purchase centers in adequate number across the province to facilitate the paddy growers.
The house's atmosphere, however, turned strain when the PPP leader, Dr Sinkandar Mondhro, backed by Soomro, sought the chair's permission to table am out-of-turn resolution calling for giving the Pinto Hospital, being birthplace of Benazir Bhutto, under the protection of National Heritage Act and Sardar Ahmed of MQM opposed the move.
The MQM's parliamentary leader viewed that the resolution should only come in the house when the criteria were known to the house and the document was compatible to the heritage rules. "The resolution can come in the house after three or four days in a proper way... as any resolution being passed in this house should be legal... the government should acquire the building and give compensation to the owner," he contended.
The MQM lawmakers, however, nodded to the document when their coalition partners in PPP, Dr Mondhro, Soomro, Shazia Marri, Sassi Palejo, Humera Alwani etc, delivered speeches in favour of the tribute-giving move. "Honourable Sardar Sahb the resolution is very much legal... after all the entire house has put its weight behind this resolution," Marri said.
Soomro told the house that his government would also add the shrine of Bhutto family in Ghari Khuda Bukhsh in the list of buildings declared as a national heritage. Later, Sassi Palejo told Business Recorder that the Heritage Committee had already decided to declare the building monument and that the owner of the building would be given compensation.
Through passing an MQM resolution the provincial assembly also condemned a "dastardly attack" on GHQ Rawalpindi by the enemy forces of Pakistan last Saturday and lauded the country's "valiant" armed forces for eliminating the terrorists and arresting their ring leader. The Assembly would meet again today on Tuesday.