By Habib Khan Ghori

KARACHI: Incensed at the home minister’s tirade and the deputy speaker’s refusal to allow their spokesman to make a tit-for-tat statement, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement members of the Sindh assembly boycotted the rest of the proceedings on Tuesday.

Earlier, Sindh Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza had described the targeted killings in the city as politically motivated and said he had been bringing that fact to the knowledge of the president and the governor and the chief minister of Sindh.

Deputy speaker Shehla Raza, who was in the chair, stopped the MQM’s Dr Saghir Siddiqui from continuing with his statement in response to the emotional outburst of Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, triggering rumpus in the house.

Raising slogans such as ‘Dehshat gardi nahin chalay gi, ghunda gardi nahin chalay gi’ and ‘Janibdari nahin chalay gi’, the MQM members walked out of the house for the day.

Senior Education Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq rose in his seat and tried to mollify and bring back their angry colleagues. He reminded them that how harmonious atmosphere had prevailed in the house for the last over two years and how they jointly got the NFC award and maintained smooth functioning of the government.

He said keeping order in the house was the responsibility of the chair and Dr Saghir, who was allowed to make a statement under Rule 215, should have been given an opportunity to speak up his mind as both parties were equal partners and had the right to criticise. “We have been living in peace and tranquillity for over two years. The NFC was achieved with consensus because of a conciliatory policy pursued by the coalition partners in the government.

He pointed out that on Monday Agha Siraj Durrani was not in the house and an opposition member had criticised him. He also referred to the visit of their party leaders to the MQM headquarters and lauded the discipline in the MQM, and said this was for the first time that commotion had erupted.

Pir Mazhar asked the law minister and other members to try to bring the protesting MPAs back into the house. He asked the chair to suspend the proceedings for 10 minutes so that they could bring their coalition partners back.

Before adjourning the session for 10 minutes, Ms Raza clarified that the rules did not allow making statements about a minister in his absence as the entire thrust of the statement was directed at the home minister.

After the house was adjourned at 2.40pm for 10 minutes, PPP Parliamentary Party Leader Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, Law Minister Ayaz Soomro and leader of the opposition Jam Madad Ali went to the MQM members and tried to persuade them to return to the house.

The Muttahida MPAs, however, refused to listen to them and said they would announce their strategy at an emergency press conference they had called at 5pm at their party headquarters, Nine-Zero.
Source: Dawn
Date:2/3/2010