Resolution passed unanimously: Sindh PA condemns Makkah drone attack
KARACHI: The Provincial Assembly of Sindh on Friday unanimously passed a resolution condemning a drone attack towards Makkah Mukarramah and calling for enforcement of laws relating to the finality of the Prophethood of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The House also approved the Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (STEVTA) amendment bill during the session chaired by Deputy Speaker Naveed Anthony, also discussed issues concerning universities, public transport, healthcare facilities, water supply and load shedding before being prorogued.
The resolution on Saudi Arabia was moved by MQM member Muhammad Rashid Khan. It condemned the drone attack towards Makkah Mukarramah, the holiest city in the Islamic world, and expressed complete solidarity with Saudi Arabia. Sindh Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Zia Ul Hassan Lanjar said Makkah is home to the House of Allah and that its sanctity would not be allowed to be harmed. He said Saudi Arabia held great importance for the Muslim Ummah as the Kaaba is located there.
Lanjar said the government supported the resolution and demanded that the United Nations also pass a similar resolution. MQM lawmaker, Ejaz-ul-Haq moved the resolution on the finality of the Prophethood of Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH). It called on the federal and provincial governments to enforce the relevant laws and include the subject in the curriculum. Lanjar supported the resolution, which was also passed unanimously.
PPP’s Ejaz Swati, speaking on a point of order, drew the House’s attention to Pashtun Culture Day on September 23. He said the day was not merely a festival but also represented the voice of the Pashtun community. Describing himself as a Sindhi Yousafzai Pashtun, he invited members to attend an event arranged to mark the day.
Lady legislator of MQM, Qurat Ul Ain Khan sought to move a resolution for waiving admission fees at technical education institutions in Sindh. Lanjar said the matter would be taken up in the next session after consultation with the special assistant concerned. PTI’s Sajjad Ali also sought to move a resolution against load shedding. However, Lanjar said a meeting had been called for September 23 to discuss the issue and suggested that it be raised there.
During question hour, Minister for Universities and Higher Education Boards Muhammad Ismail Rahoo said the federal government had not increased grants for universities by even one rupee since 2017. He said the Sindh government provided the highest grants to universities among the four provinces, but some institutions were still facing financial difficulties. He attributed the situation partly to the fact that some of them were old universities with large numbers of employees. The government, he said, was continuously increasing their grants.
Rahoo said Sindh had 30 universities, with admissions in 20 of them offered under self-finance programmes. He said self-finance seats were also allocated on merit and that 15 percent of seats were reserved for the programme. He said STEVTA had seven centres in South district and that the institution helped successful students from technical institutes find employment. The minister said MDCAT tests had previously been conducted by universities themselves, but following complaints, the examinations were now being conducted by IBA Sukkur. No complaint had been received against IBA Sukkur, he added.
The minister clarified that universities had their own autonomous bodies and were not subordinate to the Sindh government. He said all universities in Sindh had complaint cells to deal with harassment cases and each had a three-member anti-harassment committee. He acknowledged that harassment incidents did occur in universities and said initial inquiries were conducted by the institutions concerned.
If parents were not satisfied with an inquiry, the department also investigated the matter, he said. All universities had been directed to install CCTV cameras, adding that ensuring a safe environment for female students was their responsibility. Rahoo said there were 767 buses and coasters across the 30 universities in Sindh, while public-sector universities owned 448 buses.
JI’s Muhammad Farooq pointed out that Karachi University had around 44,000 students but very few buses. The minister said the Sindh government provided the highest grant to Karachi University, which was also a Sindh university. He added that 112,198 scholarships had been awarded to students between 2020 and 2025. Lanjar later presented the STEVTA amendment bill, which was approved by the House.
MQM’s legislator, Aamir Siddiqui withdrew an adjournment motion concerning the removal of a pedestrian bridge in Gulshan-e-Iqbal after Lanjar assured him that he would take up the matter with the relevant authorities. Siddiqui said pedestrian bridges on Main University Road had been removed, while those still standing were in poor condition. He said several bridges had been removed because of the Red Line project, causing inconvenience to the public.
Lanjar described the matter as an important public issue and directed the secretary to find a solution. Members also raised various public issues through attention notices, with the relevant ministers and parliamentary secretaries presenting the government’s position. One member said filter plants were under the federal government and urged the Centre to exempt them from load shedding.
Qurat Ul Ain Khan said Landhi Kakardic Medical Centre was in a severely dilapidated condition. She said ECG and other tests were difficult to obtain, the facility was short of staff and specialist doctors were unavailable. She called for a generator to be provided to the hospital. Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Qasim Siraj Soomro said the facility was a KMC hospital and much of its machinery was not functioning. He said the government had considered placing it under the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), but the move was challenged in court.
The court, he said, ruled that the hospital could not be placed under NICVD, although KMC lacked the capacity to run it. He added that 17 chest pain units were operating in Karachi. Provincial Minister Jam Khan Shoro said several filter plants in Hyderabad were supplying clean drinking water and that the government had improved many of them. Closed plants where work was under way would also be restored soon, he said.
Shoro said the main problem was the lack of continuous electricity supply from WAPDA, which affected water distribution. He said the government would improve the situation if the matter was not taken to court again. The session was later prorogued.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026