KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday passed the Sindh High Court Constitutional Benches (Practice and Procedures) Bill, 2025 by a majority vote amid loud protests and sloganeering by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers.
The bill was moved by Sindh Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Zia Ul Hassan Lanjar, while Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA, Siraj Qasim Soomro presented the committee report before the House.
As the law minister tabled amendments, PTI-backed independent members disrupted proceedings by chanting slogans and creating a ruckus.
Addressing the House, Lanjar said the government had initially promulgated an ordinance with the intention of converting it into an act of parliament. He stated that the bill was referred to a parliamentary committee comprising both treasury and opposition members, and no objections were raised during its deliberations.
“The bill was discussed thoroughly and brought to the House after due consultation,” he said, adding that the opposition’s protest created a misleading impression that a controversial law was being imposed. He recalled that PTI member Sajid Hussain had been part of the committee and raised no concerns at that stage, terming the current protest unnecessary.
The law minister also criticised the opposition’s conduct, saying that legislators repeatedly demanded the floor to speak despite the speaker rulings.
During the same sitting, the Assembly also passed the Sindh Safe Cities Authority (Amendment) Bill by a majority vote. The bill was presented by Zia Lanjar.
In addition, a bill to grant degree-awarding status to the Government College of Education, Federal B Area, Karachi, was introduced and referred by the Speaker to the relevant standing committee.
Several members also submitted call attention notices on issues of public importance. PTI MPA Shabbir Qureshi alleged that substandard material was being used in ongoing development works in the SITE area, leading to damage and deterioration of roads.
Parliamentary Secretary Ali Ahmed Jan rejected the allegations, saying criticism was being levelled without justification. His remarks triggered further protests from PTI members. Responding to the criticism, Ali Ahmed Jan said that 28 roads were currently under construction in the SITE area and that a team from NED University had declared the work to be of acceptable quality.
He added that ministers had conducted multiple inspections, and that PSDP projects were monitored by a committee including federal government representatives and the president of the SITE Association.
The Sindh Assembly session was later adjourned until Monday at 2:30 pm.
Sindh Minister for Food, Makhdoom Mehboob-uz-Zaman on Friday assured the Sindh Assembly that the provincial government would fully protect the interests of farmers and ensure the fair distribution of bardana (gunny bags).
Responding to written and supplementary questions during the Question Hour related to the Food Department, the minister said a proper and organised mechanism was already in place for the distribution of bardana to facilitate growers. He added that the department’s administrative machinery was responsible for implementing the process and assured the House that he would personally oversee the matter to ensure transparency and fairness.
During the proceedings, MQM MPA Daniyal Ahmed referred to a media report alleging corruption worth millions of rupees and asked about the status of an inquiry involving an individual named Amin Jamali in Dadu. The food minister responded that he was not aware of the report. An MQM woman MPA asked a fellow member to share the news report with the minister.
Makhdoom Mehboob-uz-Zaman informed the House that Sindh had fixed the wheat procurement price higher than Punjab and had announced the price earlier than the neighbouring province.
Raising concerns over wheat storage, MQM’s Daniyal Ahmed said the province had always faced storage issues, which often led to corruption, and asked whether any measures had been taken this year. The minister replied that wheat was stored wherever space was available, strictly in accordance with the prescribed procedure.
MQM MPA Bilqees Mukhtar asked how many laboratories were available with the department for testing food and cooking oil. The minister said the department had several laboratories operating in Sukkur, Hyderabad and Karachi. He added that whenever complaints of adulteration or poor quality were received, samples were tested and fines were imposed accordingly, while departmental officers also remained vigilant.
PTI MPA Muhammad Shabbir Qureshi asked about the financial value of wheat that had gone bad and what action had been taken against those responsible. The food minister explained that wheat was damaged mainly due to climate change. He said spoiled wheat was auctioned and the proceeds were deposited into the government treasury.
Makhdoom Mehboob-uz-Zaman further informed the House that the Sindh Food Authority could impose fines of up to Rs100,000, and that revenue generated through fines was used to meet the authority’s operational expenses.
MQM MPA Sabir Qaimkhani remarked that rats damaging wheat stocks had become a notorious issue in Sindh, and questioned why such large quantities of wheat were purchased if the province lacked proper storage capacity, especially when wheat was now being sold at lower prices. In response, the minister said the terms of reference for wheat procurement in 2026 had not yet been finalised.
In reply to another question, the minister said the Sindh Food Authority currently had a total of 78 employees, all working on contract. He added that the authority was established in 2018 and also operated its own mobile laboratories.
Newly elected Sindh Assembly member Agha Shehbaz Durrani, son of former speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, took oath of his membership in the House on Friday. Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah administered the oath, while members of his family were present in the visitors’ gallery.
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, along with several treasury and opposition members, congratulated Agha Shehbaz on his election. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said Agha Shehbaz’s victory reflected continued public trust in the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi also extended congratulations and expressed hope that Agha Shehbaz would carry forward his family’s political legacy.
In his brief remarks, Agha Shehbaz Durrani said it was an honour to become a member of the House and pledged to make sincere efforts to resolve the problems of the people of his constituency.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025