The Sindh Assembly on Friday adopted 'The Sindh Prisons and Correctional Facilities Bill 2019' amid opposition's sit-in protest in the house. The opposition was all set to discuss HIV/AIDS spread in Larkana but speaker Agha Siraj Khan Durrani turned down their request that stirred up their protest.
However, the bill relating to prisons was reintroduced in the house by the Assembly's selection committee after having concluded deliberations. Sindh Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla tabled the bill and thanked the house for their support to the bill.
According to the bill, anyone below 18 years of age will not be placed in jails while women and underage prisoners convicted in minor crimes could be released. All the prisoners after completing their sentence in jails will be released immediately. It says that all jails will have basic facilities such as medical care and clean potable water. Convicted transgender criminals will be placed separate from others in jail barracks.
Earlier, the main opposition parties asked the speaker to let them table a resolution on the HIV AIDS spread that gripped hundreds of people in Larkana mainly children. "Let us table our resolution on HIV aids," Haleem Adil Shaikh, PTI's parliamentary group leader in the Sindh Assembly asked the speaker in a bitter tone, seeking a suspension to the assembly agenda.
But, Agha Siraj turned down the request and continued with the assembly's scheduled agenda that prompted the opposition to stage a protest sit-in in front of the speaker rostrum. They held banners in hands and chanted slogans. During the question-answer session, Sindh Mines and Mineral Minster Shabbir Ali Bijarani replied to the lawmakers questions.
The house descended into chaos when PPP's Saeed Ghani stepped up to stop Opposition leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi from climbing the speaker desk. He snatched placards from his hands and threw down on the floor. This action brought the opposition and PPP lawmakers to scuffle, who traded barbs and non-parliamentary remarks. Due to it, several call attention notices that were placed on the agenda for discussion could not be discussed. The house stands adjourned until Saturday afternoon.