News Desk
KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly session was marred by intense uproar by the opposition on Friday. Chaos erupted in the assembly as opposition members, primarily from Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), vehemently protested the contentious results of intermediate exams held under the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi.
Many Karachi students were unexpectedly failed, sparking outrage. When the acting speaker denied immediate discussion, the opposition’s frustration boiled over, with members shouting slogans, protesting, and tearing up agenda copies in a dramatic show of dissent.
The Sindh Assembly session was convened after a long hiatus on Friday. When the proceedings began under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker Naveed Anthony, the opposition members requested permission to discuss a point of order.
However, the acting speaker advised that they could hold discussion on their point after the Question Hour for the Excise and Taxation Department. Excise Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla began responding to questions when the opposition started insisting that they be allowed to speak first. The Speaker told MQM member Dr Fauzia that if she does not want to ask anything during the question hour, the session would continue without addressing her query, to which she said that the opposition wants to talk about the important issue of Karachi first.
The Speaker insisted that the matter may be discussed later. Frustrated with the speaker’s stance, the opposition members started protesting, chanting slogans in the house. MQM member of assembly Ijazul Haq said that the children of urban Sindh are crying, as many of them who passed with A1 grade in Matric exams were declared fail in Intermediate.
He also questioned the legitimacy of the medical test results, maintaining that it is a matter of the future of the children of Karachi, on which MQM-P can not maintain silence. Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ziaul Hassan Lanjar urged Ijazul Haq to take his seat, saying the point was already heard by the house.
Amidst the assembly’s uproar, the Minister of Excise announced that property tax collection is no longer the Excise Department’s responsibility, having been transferred to local government district councils in 2023. Meanwhile, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar introduced the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Institute for Democracy and Federalism Bill 2024. The acting speaker referred the bill to the relevant standing committee for review, with a report expected to be presented to the house within ten days.
