Sindh Assembly chaos as opposition chants “Sindhu Desh Na Manzoor”

The Sindh Assembly witnessed heated scenes on Friday as opposition lawmakers staged a noisy protest and chanted “Sindhu Desh Na Manzoor,” disrupting proceedings in the house.

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly witnessed heated scenes on Friday as opposition lawmakers staged a noisy protest and chanted “Sindhu Desh Na Manzoor,” disrupting proceedings in the house.

The session, chaired by Speaker Syed Owais Qadir Shah began considerably later than its scheduled time of 2:30pm. Soon after proceedings started Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmakers began raising slogans against the idea of Sindhu Desh.

The Speaker urged lawmakers to maintain discipline saying that the issues of the previous day had already taken place and asking members to avoid further disorder. However, opposition members continued their protest, with the noise and slogan-chanting making it difficult to hear the proceedings.

Despite the disruption, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar presented the audit report before the house. Adviser for Human Settlements Najmi Alam also responded to lawmakers’ questions regarding katchi abadis and informal settlements.

Najmi Alam said that only katchi abadis established before 2011 would be eligible for leases. Settlements established after that date would not be leased and would instead be considered encroachments. He added that a No Objection Certificate from the Board of Revenue was mandatory for leasing and that no new settlement could be established without the required approval.

According to the adviser, Karachi continues to experience population growth due to ongoing migration from other areas. He also said work was underway on a proposed “Sasti Basti” scheme aimed at providing affordable housing to low-income families through installment payments.

The Karachi water crisis also came under discussion during the session. MQM lawmaker Amir Siddiqui raised a call-attention notice over severe water shortages in Adam Colony and Soldier Bazaar.

Parliamentary Secretary Qasim Siraj Soomro responding in the absence of the Local Government Minister, said water was being supplied across Karachi on a 12-hour rotation. He also attributed the lack of billing in some areas to residents not paying their water bills.

The continued sloganeering disrupted proceedings and Amir Siddiqui declined to speak on an adjournment motion amid the disorder.

Following the brief proceedings and persistent disruption Speaker Owais Qadir Shah adjourned the Sindh Assembly session until Monday at 2:30pm.