A scuffle between the opposition Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), and the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), legislators of Sindh on Thursday marred the Sindh Assembly budget 2016-17 debate forcing adjournment of proceedings for the next day. Allegations of money laundering and currency smuggling triggered harsh words and a scuffle between MQM's Azeem Farooqui and PPP's Mukesh Kumar Chawla in front of Syed Murad Ali Shah.
However, with legislators moving in to stop the scuffle, utter chaos was witnessed at the Sindh Assembly. In reply to the veiled allegations by MQM minority member Dewan Chand Chawla, who had indirectly alleged during his budget speech, "money is being smuggled abroad through boats". PPP women lawmaker Shamim Mumtaz rebutted, "how money-laundering tainted people dared to level allegations against the PPP". Mumtaz also responded by saying, "there is no money laundering allegations against the PPP leadership. She also said, currency smuggling is claimed, but none mentions under whose mattress the currency was recovered from".
During her speech, MQM lawmakers taunted, 'from Dubai, from Dubai'. On which, she said that "if Dubai is cited then London as well will also have to be brought under discussion". On this MQM lawmaker Azeem Farooqui told Mumtaz to include the name of former, twice prime minister and chairperson PPP late Benazir Bhutto in the debate when mentioning London in her speech.
On this pandemonium broke out in the House. Shamim Farooqui and Mukesh Kumar Chawla left their seats and confronted each other with both lawmakers exchanging harsh words and physically pushing each other angrily. However, both legislators were restrained by the House latter. While holding budget books in his hand Dewan Chand said, "Sindh was destroyed without dropping an atom bomb". He said that public money was plainly visible in the Sindh Assembly. "Expensive Mercedes cars are parked outside the assembly building, but a poor Sindhi cannot even afford to buy a bicycle," he said in an emotional voice. He further alleged that development funds for restoration of Hindu temples too were embezzled, on this his microphone was switched off and this also stirred protests by the opposition.
Pakistan Muslim League - Functional (PML-F), woman lawmaker Nusrat Sehar Abbasi also alleged the Sindh government of 'corruption', saying, education, agriculture and healthcare sectors are in shambles despite huge financial allocations made in the budgets. She termed the Sindh fiscal 2016-17 budget as 'anti-public' and also said there is "Rs 500 billion corruption annually".
She said, the Sindh government employed 40,000 ghost officials in education department and 13,000 in health department. "In Thar, billions of rupees have been squandered but there is no sign of power generation as yet." She further said, the government was unable to cater to the basic and fundamental needs of existing cities, but still it was all set to develop a new city - Zulfiqarbad. Earlier, MQM legislator and opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan showed his resentment over the postponement of oath taking for members on reserved seats. Later, the Sindh Assembly proceedings were adjourned for Friday morning.