KARACHI: Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani has banned the entry of eight lawmakers into provincial assembly after they brought a charpoy in the House.
The entry of eight lawmakers namely, PTI parliamentary leader Bilal Ahmed, Saeed Ahmed, Arsalan Taj, Muhammad Ali Aziz, Adeel Ahmed, Shah Nawaz Jadoon, Raja Azhar, and Rabistan Khan has been banned from the current session.
According to a notification, the speaker said the lawmakers showed “grossly disorder and expressed displeasure over it.” He added that such “disorderly conduct” has “damaged the sanctity of the House and also Parliamentary practices.”
Condemning an unpleasant incident that had taken place in the Sindh Assembly, the Speaker ordered a probe into the scuffle between the members from the opposition and treasury benches. Durrani has ordered Secretary Sindh Assembly, Umar Farooq, to submit a report after completing an inquiry into the incident.
The ruckus started when protesting members brought a ‘folding charpoy’ in the House, calling it a ‘coffin of democracy’ and claiming they were not allowed to speak during the budget session.
Opposition Leader Haleem Adil Shaikh could be seen leading the PTI lawmakers from the entrance of the assembly as they carry a charpoy with a banner over it inscribed with letters ‘Jamhoriyat Ka Janaza’ [coffin of democracy].
Security officials intercepted the lawmakers immediately. After a scuffle with the assembly’s security, the Opposition members moved on with the banner only holding it from four sides like a coffin casket. They later gathered in front of the speaker’s dias along with the banner.
Talking to journalists, Opposition Leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Shaikh justified their act, saying that it is PPP that has murdered democracy by bulldozing the voice of opposition parties in the assembly.
“It is now 13 years since they are looting the people of the province,” he added. PTI lawmaker Firdous Shamim Naqvi asserted that it was not new for the Sindh government to suppress democratic voices.
“No audit or financial report is released timely in the province,” he said, adding that it has been two years since the provincial audit report is released as they do not believe in accountability and good governance. As the protests of the Opposition continued, the session has been adjourned until June 29.
