The last few days have witnessed nothing but gross disorderly conduct in the Sindh Assembly, mostly by the opposition – particularly the PTI. These theatrics will not serve any purpose in resolving the most pressing problems facing the nation.
The Sindh Assembly passed the budget last week amid a ruckus by the joint opposition who had staged a walkout. The protests gave the Sindh government an opportunity to pass the budget without the concluding remarks of the opposition leader. The passing of the budget was a rare occurrence as the opposition failed a single cut motion and instead disrupted proceedings and resorted to a noisy protest.
We witnessed even more shenanigans when several PTI lawmakers brought a charpoy into the House, symbolisng it as ‘funeral of democracy’. The speaker expressed immense displeasure over the behaviour saying they had violated the sanctity of parliament and barred them from the session. This was not the end as the lawmakers staged a noisy sit-in outside the assembly building the next day and eventually scaled the gate after their entrance was blocked.
We had earlier witnessed such disorderly behaviour in the National Assembly after the budget was presented as the government and opposition benched clashed with each other. This continued for several days during which we saw lawmakers stoop to the lowest ebb with their rowdy behaviour and hooliganism. At long last, sanity was restored leading to smooth proceedings. Now we have witnessed similar behaviour in the Sindh Assembly.
Politicians are still pointing fingers over what transpired in the provincial assembly. Opposition leader Haleem Adil justified it saying they were necessary due to the Sindh government’s excesses. PTI leader Firdous Naqvi made an abrupt resignation after he was refused permission to speak, PTI leaders at the Centre also critcised the PPP for suppressing the opposition’s voice, calling it the “worst dictatorship.”
Lawmakers should realise that their primary responsibility is to legislate and resolve the problems of their respective constituencies. These tactics are a waste of valuable time and resources and serve no purpose whatsoever. They should rather focus on issues that matter than resorting to such activities within the esteemed parliament.
