Opposition legislators of Sindh submitted requisition in the Assembly Secretariat on Wednesday to convene a session of the provincial assembly to discuss various issues affecting life of common men.
Law makers 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 PTI, MQM-P and GDA and other assembly members here at Sindh Assembly building.
Speaking on the occasion, Haleem said that people of the province were suffering due to bad governance and apathy of PPP government and such serious issued need 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 keep the assembly in session as long as they desire.
He said that all the 69 opposition members wanted that session be summon at the earliest so that issues of shortage of wheat and highly inflated prices of wheat flour in the province could be discussed on the 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 has 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, government agencies were facilitating land grabbing, drinking and irrigation water was scarce, 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 addressing the press conference indicated wide spread corruption in the province and said that not governance but corruption system was dominant in Sindh and Karachi become capital of corruption.
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 SHOs through kickbacks was reason behind poor law and order, he asserted.
Kunwar said that Karachiites did not get tap water despite payment of bills and they have to purchase water from tanker mafia while Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has become bribe center while the metropolitan had tuned into jungle of concrete due to illegal construction.
Flour prices in Karachi were the highest in the country and basic need of people went out of their purchasing power, he bemoaned adding that it was due to corruption otherwise wheat produced in Sindh was sufficient to meet provincial requirements.
Parliamentary leader of PTI, Bilal Abdul Gaffar, said that Provincial Finance Commission ensure 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 further said that SBCA was facilitating illegal construction in Karachi and assets of its officials were multiplying. He demanded that assets of SBCA officers be made public and whoever accumulated wealth beyond his or her source of income be made accountable.
