Issue of Pir Mazhar's wife's promotion: Woman MPA receives severe criticism from minister

A provincial minister of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Friday rebuked a lady member during Sindh Assembly session when she pointed at 'nepotism' in promotion in education department.
The remarks of Pakistan Muslim League Functional's (PML-F) legislator, Syeda Marvi Rashdi, which were directly against the Sindh Senior Education Minister and Parliamentary Leader of PPP, Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, stirred fury in the treasury benches, as she felt the promotion of the minister's teacher wife to the department's additional secretary post gave an impression of nepotism.
The house remained in disorder for a while as uproar by the treasury benches marred the proceedings, when after the orders of the day finished and Speaker Nisar Khuhro allowed the members to raise their concerns on point of orders. Marvi Rashdi, when received a nod from the chair to utter her concern, was not welcomed by the treasury members and began started shouting. She said the promotion to a lady teacher, which happened to be the wife of education minister to the top post of the department was condemnable. "We condemn such promotions," she said.
Responding her, Sindh Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah tried to give explanation but failed as she continued her speech which spoiled his words leaving him furious to the extend that he shrugged off choosing a candid expression and in high-pitched shouts he called her "please keep quiet" and then exploded "shut up".
Marvi replied in same way, "Don't shout at me I don't belong to your party", on which he responded "if you were a member of my party we would have thrown you out," adding that being a brother or relative of a minister was not a disqualification. The house meantime remained out of order.
Sindh Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ayaz Soomro said it was against the spirit of the policy of political reconciliation as being part of the treasury benches, lawmakers of coalition parties should not criticise the government's acts. Earlier, the PPP lawmaker, Imdad Ali Pitafi, took a rhetorical stance and denounced the verdict of Supreme Court against the Prime Minister, saying "Time to time, mullah [religious leaders], courts, or military become active against his party to corner it".
His words were incoherent and sometimes incomprehensive despite he was reading a speech placed on his desk, and continued his criticism of judiciary and opposition leader in the national assembly.
It was difficult to make an abridgement of his unimpressive speech whether he was defending his party or blaming the problems which his party started to face after the judiciary had begun calling the PM to appear before the judges. The close sitting legislators including the former Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon continued thumping desk to support his jerky speech. Meantime, Marvi Rashdi rose and said that Article 68 of the Constitution refrained remarks against the judges' conduct. Memon immediately went up to the female lawmakers of his party in a bid to stir up noise but failed after speaker asked him to take his seat.
Imdad Ali slammed Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan for his speech in which he said Prime Minister should step down, asserting that Yousuf Raza Gilani would return to his seat in the parliament. He said the PML-N's Punjab government was running on the court's stay order.
When the PML-F's lawmaker, Nusrat Sehar Abbasi, took the floor to raise her concerns about a girl suffering heart disease, the PPP legislators started shouts "shame, shame" "No, No,". Speaker asked her she should not speak against what Imdad Ali had said on which she replied that she was going to highlight the issue of a heart patient child. She urged the government to take steps for the treatment of the heat patient girl, Kiran Soomro.
The house passed a government bill "The Sindh Government Servants Benevolent Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2012 into law with a unanimous vote. Besides, the speaker announced the Sindh Governor had given assent to "The Syed Abdullah Shah Institute of Medical Sciences Bill, 2012".
A privilege motion by the minority member, Saleem Khursheed Khokhar, was held up till Monday with his consent, as other lawmakers also demanded the government should help him in getting a case registered against those who had sent him threatening messages on his cell phone. An adjournment motion by him was also differed for Monday due to lack of time.
Sindh Information Minister, Shazia Marri condemned the threatening messages to the minority legislator and said that all citizens irrespective of their creed, cast and religion were equal in Pakistan. She said such things should not be raised to give an impression of religious discrimination against the minorities as it created rifts in the society, but threats were a condemnable. The house was adjourned till Monday morning.