KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Monday staged a walkout from the Sindh Assembly session to protest against the arrest and torture of its activist Fahad Aziz, who was picked up when he was escorting home his bride from the wedding ceremony.
Syed Faisal Sabzwari, MQM MPA and leader of opposition in the assembly, waving the picture of the groom announced that their boycott would continue until a satisfactory response from the authorities.
This was their second walkout during the current session beginning on Feb 3 against, what they said, high handedness of police, pushing the MQM to the wall.
Reacting over the walkout, information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon tried to dispel the impression that the ‘targeted operation’ was against a certain party. He said the purpose of the on-going action was to restore peace and turn the city once again into a cradle of peace for which the Rangers and police had been given a free hand.
He said the blood of innocent people had been spilled for the last 20 to 25 years in Karachi and the people could no longer be left to the mercy of terrorists.
The minister said that “an honest and good team comprising the police chief, DIGs and SSPs are carrying out a targeted action evenhandedly as neither the government nor the police are biased against anyone”. He said after due investigation cases of arrested people were being sent to court for trial.
He said the highest number of encounters had taken place in Lyari, but “we never said that a partial action was being carried out against the Baloch”. “If the forces would be attacked, they would retaliate. The PPP never indulged in politics of prejudice. Now it is high time to rid Karachi of the bloodshed for which the government was prepared to go to any extent.
He recalled that most of the police officers who had taken part in the 1992 operation had been killed over the years. “Where should their children go to seek justice?” he remarked.
He assured the MQM that the government had taken notice of the highhandedness incident and an inquiry was being conducted at the level of DIG, whose report would be made public.
Earlier, before the house took up its business from the order of the day, Mr Sabzwari drew the attention of the house to the incident through a point of order. He said the police chief claimed that Fahad was wanted in a case of killing policemen, but later said the allegations were wrong, and he was released after three days.
He said the police statement about not having tortured Fahad during investigations was not only based on prejudice and hatred but manifested a sick mind.
The MQM lawmaker further said that people were being arrested without any justification by police in plain clothes. They raided their homes and picked them even from roads, dozens of them killed and scores of others shown missing. He said the government’s silence on the arrest fomented hatred against the system which was also a conspiracy to frustrate the ongoing ‘targeted operation’.
He demanded that the police personnel involved in the incident be punished and people be provided protection against police excesses.
Except for a call attention notice of Nusrat Seher Abbasi of the PML-F regarding measures to equip the police force with modern weapons, no other notice was taken up due to the absence of their movers.
The privilege motion of MQM lawmakers Khwaja Izhar-ul-Hasan and Abdul Haseeb and the adjournment motion of Sabir Hussain Qaimkhani were not taken up because of their absence.
Two bills passed
The two bills passed during the Monday sitting included Bill No 5 of 2014 — The National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIBD) Postgraduate Institute of Life Sciences Bill, 2014 — which soon after its introduction was taken for consideration dispensing with the relevant rules.
Dr Sikandar Mandhro said the purpose of the bill was to encourage the private sector to impart medical education. He said by legislation the NIBD, functioning since 2008 and already providing quality services to people suffering from threatening diseases of blood, would be granted charter to award degrees and certificates to its graduate.
The other bill — the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board Bill, 2014 — which was introduced on Feb 6, was passed after a brief discussion on its general principles. The bill was aimed at providing clean environment to the people by proper collection and disposal of the solid waste management system as at present the indiscriminate dumping and open burning of waste was hazardous for health and the environment. The solid waste management board would not only help in cleanliness in cities and towns, but would also generate revenue, and produce power from solid waste.
Three resolutions adopted
The house also adopted three resolutions. Two of them were about paying tribute to polio workers, recommending those killed for the highest civil award and making a polio vaccination certificate mandatory for admission, birth certificate and passport.
By the third resolution the assembly felicitated PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on organising the Sindh Festival.
The house, which was called to order by Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani at 11.55am after the completion of the agenda, was adjourned at 2.45pm to re-assemble on Tuesday at 10am.