The opposition legislators of Sindh on Wednesday submitted requisition in the assembly secretariat to convene a session of the provincial assembly at the earliest to discuss various issues affecting common people.
Legislators belonging to Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qoumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) requested to summon a session for discussing law and order situation, shortage of wheat and high prices of flour, local government elections, provincial finance commission, land grabbing, water scarcity and delay in sugar cane crushing.
It was announced in a joint press conference by leader of the opposition Haleem Adil Sheikh, parliamentary leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, Mutahida Qomi Movement-P and GDA and other assembly members here at Sindh Assembly building.
Speaking at the occasion Haleem Adil Sheikh said people of the province were suffering due to bad governance and apathy of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government and such serious issued needed to be discussed in the assembly as it was the most appropriate forum for the purpose.
PPP was not convening the assembly session although a number of serious issues requiring immediate attention, he said adding that when any member from government benches required production order they would keep the assembly in session as long as they desire.
He said all the 69 opposition members wanted that session would be summoned at the earliest so that issues of shortage of wheat and highly inflated prices of wheat flour in the province could be discussed on floor of the assembly.
There was artificial shortage of wheat due to corrupt practices of incumbent PPP government as 1.6 million bags of wheat missing from ware houses of food department and resultantly per kilogram price of wheat flour had crossed Rs 80 while the same commodity was available at a rate of Rs 55 in Punjab, he maintained.
Haleem Adil Sheikh noted that law and order situation in Sindh was deteriorated, adding, government agencies were facilitating land grabbers, scarcity of drinking and irrigation water, while sugar crushing had been delayed and different districts were waiting for just and fair distribution of resources through provincial finance commission.
The parliamentary leader of MQM-P in Sindh Assembly Kunwar Naveed Jamil while addressing the press conference indicated wide spread corruption in the province and said there was no governance but corruption system was dominant in Sindh and Karachi.
He alleged that all the assembly members and office bearers of PPP were busy in making illegal money by corruption that would be used to hijack the upcoming elections. Posting of police officers and Station House Officers through kickbacks was reason behind poor law and order, he asserted.
Flour prices in Karachi were the highest in the country and basic need of people went out of their purchasing power, he said adding that it was due to corruption otherwise wheat produced in Sindh was sufficient to meet provincial requirements.
Parliamentary leader of GDA Husnain Mirza said the Sindh assembly was the most appropriate forum to discuss the burning issues of public.
They kept the assembly in session for the longest duration in record only for the sake of production orders of certain persons but the constitutional forum was not being utilized for discussing and resolving issues of public, he said.
Mirza alleged provincial government of favouritism in recruitment of teachers saying that Badin was an under-developed district with the highest vacancy ratio but it was not included in hard areas for political reasons.
He demanded that even if there was shortage, distribution of available water be made in fair and justified manner.
Parliamentary leader of PTI, Bilal Abdul Gaffar, said the Provincial Finance Commission ensured fair and equitable distribution of resources and available funds among districts of the province but meeting of the commission was not convened during past 13 years.
Federal government was providing Sindh its share according to increased tax collection but the same was not being transferred to grass root level accordingly, he observed and demanded that PFC should be convened at the earliest.
He demanded that assets of SBCA officers be made public and whoever accumulated wealth beyond his or her source of income be made accountable.
MQM-P legislator Javaid Hanif while speaking at the occasion alleged that resources of the province were being siphoned out to the kitty of a few favourites. A group of people was squeezing all the resources and miseries of poor people were multiplying, he added.
GDA MPA Nusrat Sehar Abbasi said that the rules required monthly sessions of assembly but PPP that speaks a lot about supremacy of parliament was desisting from convening Sindh Assembly.
Responding to a query Haleem Adil Sheikh said price control mechanism was missing and price control committees were non functional resulting into alarming price hike of those basic commodities which were being produced locally.
On the other hand federal government was trying its utmost to control the price hike and it had extended possible relief to people in prices of petroleum products by significantly reducing government taxes and duties on POL products.
