The Sindh Assembly session, just before concluding on Friday noon, turned into an unpleasant event in the course of members' speeches, particularly by treasury benches, when an opposition member inquired about the news item regarding unfair promotions to top police officers, despite the fact that they had initially failed the relevant examination.
Just after the members concluded legislation on a bill and a resolution, Speaker Nisar Khohro allowed floor to an opposition member Nusrat Seher Abbasi. She said the news item published in a leading Urdu paper stated that 44 Superintendents of Police had been promoted although they had failed prerequisite test for promotions.
Citing the newspaper, she said that their promotions were based on political grounds rather than professional competency. Test papers were remade in the Chief Minister House for the promotion of these officers. Her concerns immediately invited a strong speech by Sharjeel Memon from treasury bench who termed the news item "baseless", saying: "If the news proved true, I would tender my apology in the house".
In an unexpected harsher reaction, Sharjeel called for examining of Seher Abbasi's degree, which caused anger to her, saying that remarks against her were unfair. Sharjeel denied the news item saying Seher Abbasi's impression was wrong and test paper for SPs promotions had not been evaluated at the CM House.
Meanwhile, Speaker Khohro struggled to calm the situation and bringing the house to order, but treasury members appeared more furious. Sardar Ahmed said any minister should speak on the question rather than a member, on which Murad Ali Shah said that it was all legislators' right to reply or defend the stance.
He Speaker asked Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Law Ayaz Soomro to reply on behalf of treasury bench, who commented that police officers had fulfilled the criteria for their promotion. He said if the Supreme Court of Pakistan asked for degrees' verifications then it was appreciated but the Sindh Assembly's member's demand was seen unfair. "It is a double standard," Ayaz said.
However, the Speaker asked members from both sides to be calm while discussion issuesint the assembly and adjourned the session to meet again on Monday morning. Earlier, the Assembly passed unanimously the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Shaheed Benazirabad (Amendment) Bill, 2011.
Ayaz Soomro, presenter of the bill, said the tenure of service for Vice Chancellor had not been mentioned in the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, Shaheed Benazirabad Act 2009. He said the amendment bill 2011 would provide a service span of four years to Vice Chancellor. Members also voted unanimously for the resolution, shifting matter of water scarcity to Karachi to the assembly's standing committee to probe the issue.
Sardar Ahmed raised concerns over the forced sacking of KESC employees and urged the government to help them getting restored at their jobs. He said sacking of 4,500 employees would render huge employment crisis for the nation and their retrenched employees families would suffer most.
Sindh Labour Minister Ameer Nawab said the sacking of employees was illegal and in violation of the labour laws, adding that his ministry had started probe against KESC. Soomro said the PPP government would not let anyone become unemployed; rather it would make efforts to provide jobs for everyone. He said the issue of KESC employees' sacking would soon be resolved.
At the question hour, Minster for Livestock Abid Hussain Jatoi said the government had no intention to give industry status to livestock sector. He said that there were 786 veterinary centres working in the province. Ten of them had been included for upgradation in the development schemes in 2009-10, he said in reply to a question.
He told the House that the government had set up Taluka veterinary dispensary under Sindh Phase-I. Abid said the government had a programme to establish 50 veterinary dispensaries in the province at Taluka level, in three phases. In Phase-I, the government will construct nine veterinary dispensaries; 18 in Phase-II, and 23 in Phase-III, he added.
He acknowledged that animals were being smuggled to Iran, but said that the subject lay in the federal government's jurisdiction. He said the Sindh government had shown its concerns to the federal government in this connection.