KARACHI: The opposition on Monday rattled the Sindh Assembly over killings of Nazim Jokhio and Fahmida Sial that have became a high profile crime news and implicated allegedly the ruling PPP’s members.
With Deputy Speaker, Rehana Leghari in chair, the house opened its proceedings from prayers for the deceased persons but immediately caught up by the opposition’s protesting speeches from condemning the Sindh government over the killings.
The opposition took it as a chance to step up its criticism of the ruling PPP, asking it to end its support to those allegedly behind the killings of Nazim Jokhio and Fahmida Sial and arrest the culprits indiscriminately.
Despite reminders from the Deputy Speaker asking the opposition legislators to confine their speeches to prayers, but all her efforts went unheard.
The opposition continued with speeches, as MQM’s Muhammad Hussain deplored of an assault on Fahmida Sial, who received gunshot piercing through Holy Quran that she had placed on her chest.
The gunshot just not only killed her but the killers of Fahmida did not even honour the Holy Quran, he said and added that the evidence of her death is ‘painful’.
“Prayers should be made for the killers of Fahmida Sial and Nazim Jokhio to see an unprecedented punishment in this world,” he requested to opposition lawmakers.
“The way Fahmida Sial and Nazim Jokhio were slain is a dreadful sign,” GDA’s Nusrat Sehar Abbasi told the house, alleging that “it is more concerning that the members of Sindh Assembly are involved”.
“This callus (Sindh) government should resign forthwith,” she said and added that the Sindh Assembly should carry on a daylong debate on these killings. “The Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah was supposed to be here,” she added.
Shamim Mumtaz of the ruling PPP assured the house of justice for the deceased, saying that “on behalf of the Sindh government, I guarantee justice”. She called Nazim Jokhio death a ‘big’ incident.
MQM’s Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan said that the killers of Fahmida Sial even did not care of the holiness of Quran that she had on her chest and shot her dead. “This (incident) shivered my soul,” he said.
“The lawmakers are playing with the law,” he said and added that everyone is playing politics on this incident but nobody is stepping up to serve justice to the bereaved family.
MMA’s Syed Abdul Rashid said that such incidents cannot take place without the government’s patronage. “A special prayer session should be held for the federal and provincial governments,” he added.
Dua Bhutto of the PTI requested for prayers for the ‘missing’ Speaker of the house, Aga Siraj Khan Durrani to become freed soon. “Mr Speaker is missing and for his release prayer should be made,” she added.
PTI’s Raja Azhar asked the house to constitute a committee to help free Aga Siraj. The opposition legislators began chants calling the ruling PPP “killer, killer the PPP killer,” that made the house tense.
However, Imdad Pitafi of the ruling PPP called the both killings a result of tribal feud. Farhat Seemi of the ruling PPP asked the house to offer prayers for those police personnel killed in violent clashes with the TLP activists recently in Lahore.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021