The PML-Q members in Sindh Assembly staged a walkout on Monday in protest against the rampant incidents of targeted killings in Karachi and the government's failure to curb the menace.
Journalists in the press gallery also staged a walkout during the session gainst the abduction and torture of Muhammad Qasim Isran, correspondent of an English daily in District Noshero Feroz, allegedly by TPO South Umer Khattab and Inspector Haq Nawaz Chatta of Nabi Bukhsh police station.
Further, the provincial legislature was told that a Russian company was working on a pilot project of setting up 50MW power plant initially, through the gasification of underground coal at Thar Coal Fields. Moreover, the assembly passed an amendment bill, Land Acquisition (Sindh Amendment) Bill, 2009, unanimously, as the house assembled here at Sindh Assembly Building under the chair of Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza with a routine 90-minute late of its scheduled timing at 11:30am.
Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza showed the media its "limits" when some treasury members, led by Manzoor Wassan and Agha Siraj Durrani, complained of misreporting by the print and electronic media with regard to the acquisition of "prohibited" bore weapons' licenses by the government officials.
The unanimous passage of a resolution, tabled by PPP's Anwar Mehar to pay homage to the great Sindhi intellectual Shah Inayatullah Shaheed on the occasion of his 301st Urs, was another important development witnessed in the assembly, where a continuous and loud humming made the deputy speaker and later the chairman, Dr Sikandar Mindhro, keep asking for "order in the house".
Earlier, on a point order, the PML-Q members, Shehryar Mehar and Abdul Razzak Rahimoo, lashed out at the coalition government for its failure to apprehend the culprits behind the targeted killings who, they said, were known to everyone. The opposition members' critical remarks came when members from the PPP, MQM and ANP requested the house to offer "Fateha" for the victims of the targeted killings.
The PML-Q lawmakers demanded of the government to fulfil its responsibility of establishing peace in the province instead of offering mere condolences. The two PML-Q leaders registered their protest through a token walkout from the house. As expected, the criticism could not convey a positive message to the treasury benches, where the portfolio holders like Agha Siraj Durrani termed the remarks as "exhibitory" or "emotional".
The local government minister countered Mehar by saying that the opposition member was a failure when it comes to law and order in his constituency. Meanwhile, the journalists went out of the press gallery in support of Muhammad Qasim Isran, who was arrested and badly tortured by the Nabi Bukhsh police for three days under the "baseless" accusation of possessing illegal weapons.
Tourism Minister Shazia Marri was, however, quick in approaching the newsmen assuring that an inquiry would be conducted into the incident. Her pledge was later reiterated by Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, who said the culprits would be taken to task and a complete report would be brought to the house tomorrow (today).
The deputy speaker reminded the journalists of their responsibility, when some members rejected media reports appeared last week criticising them for obtaining prohibited bore arms' licenses from the Sindh government. "We also need to see that we don not cross the limits," Raza advised the media.
On legislative front, the provincial assembly changed the compensation laws for the landowners through amending the Land Acquisition Act, 1994 in light of the judgement given by the Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court on July 31, 2007. Earlier, during the Question Hour Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, Murad Ali Shah and Shoaib Bukhari responded to supplementary questions of the members in place of Syed Qaim Ali Shah Chief Minister.
To a question the Chief Minister said his government had cancelled at least four exploration licenses of M/s Hassan Associates, M/s Descon Engineering, M/s Descon Minex Private and M/s Associated Group due to "non-performance" during January 2008 to February 20, 2009.
PPP's Murad Ali Shah and MQM' Shoaib Bukhari told a questioner, Nadeem Bhutto, that a Russian firm, through the gasification of underground coal at Block 5 of the Thar Coal Fields, would install a power plant of 50 MW initially. Bukhari said the latest Russian technology would benefit the country both in terms of time and expenses by at leas 63 percent.
After speeches of the members, like Anwar Mehar, Shazia Marri, Nuzhat Pathan, Sardar Ahmed, Humera Alwani, Shamim Ara Phanwar and Ayaz Soomro, the house adopted a resolution paying homage to Sindhi poet Shah Inayatullah Shaheed. The house would meet again on Tuesday at 10am.