The Sindh Assembly has approved a motion seeking a two-hour debate on the creation of new provinces and administrative units, with the discussion scheduled for Monday (Aug 31).
The motion was moved by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sindh President and senior lawmaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro under Rule 256 of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, 2013.
In his request to the speaker, Khuhro said a fresh debate had emerged over the creation of new provinces and administrative units, including proposals that could alter the existing territorial boundaries of Sindh.
He said the issue was of public importance and should be debated on the floor of the provincial assembly.
Law Minister and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar supported the motion, saying the matter was significant and he had no objection to its discussion.
Speaker Syed Owais Qadir Shah then put the motion to a vote. PPP members supported it, while opposition lawmakers from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Jamaat-i-Islami did not stand in its favour.
The speaker admitted the motion and announced that the assembly would hold a two-hour discussion on Monday. He said the debate could be extended for several days if members wished. The motion was subsequently approved by majority vote.
During the session, newly elected MPA from PS-30 Asfand Yar Khral took oath in Sindhi.
The assembly also expressed grief over the recent deaths at PIMS Hospital in Islamabad and other tragic incidents. Jamaat-i-Islami MPA Muhammad Farooq called for prayers for newborns who died in a hospital fire and for Mir Raza, who was killed in an incident.
The speaker announced four new members of the panel of chairpersons for the session, including Nida Khuhro, Sabir Qaimkhani and Dr Sikandar Shoro.
During Question Hour, Law Minister Lanjar said construction of residential facilities for prosecutors, officers and staff, originally scheduled for completion in 2021, had been delayed. He said work in Hyderabad and Sukkur was now nearing completion.
The project, costing Rs330 million, is being supervised by judges of the Sindh High Court, he added.
Responding to a question from PTI lawmaker Sajjad Soomro, Lanjar said the advocate general’s position was in BPS-18 and that 67 candidates had passed a test conducted by the Sindh Public Service Commission.
MQM-P lawmaker Aamir Siddiqui withdrew an adjournment motion concerning traffic congestion in Lyari’s Lasbela area after the interior minister assured him that the matter would be addressed. The speaker advised him to meet the minister to pursue the issue.
The assembly also passed three amendment bills relating to public-private partnerships, the Institute of Business Administration and narcotics control.
