Notable promises newly elected Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz made in her victory speech

By: Inter News on February 26, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz made history on Monday after being elected the first female chief minister of Pakistan from Punjab. Maryam — who made her parliamentary debut this year after winning the Feb 8 polls from PP-159 — achieved a landslide victory against the opposition’s Rana Aftab Ahmad, securing all of the 220 votes.

In a lengthy victory speech, Maryam noted that there were many expectations from her and vowed to go “above and beyond”. She further said that her party had developed an “extensive and comprehensive” agenda for the province, which would be implemented from today.

Dawn.com takes a look at some of the many promises Maryam made in her victory speech.

Transforming Punjab into an ‘economic hub’

Maryam said that she plans to transform Punjab into an “economic hub” by creating an enabling environment for businessmen.

She said the government’s job was to create policies, incentivise businessmen, and to remove bureaucratic hurdles and “red-tapism”.

She said that the businesses being run by the provincial government should be converted into a public-private partnership.

“My job is to make policies in Punjab, to provide an enabling environment, and to regulate — we will do this but at the same time we will facilitate the business community so that they invest and economic revival begins,” she said.

Improving lives of the youth

Maryam also said that her mission included making the lives of the province’s youth easier. She said she had extensive plans and programmes to cater to “all kinds of youth”.

“If any child wants to study on merit and they do not have the means, the Punjab government will provide funds for them,” she said. She highlighted that the Punjab Education Endowment Fund would be revived and taken forward.

Furthermore, she added that the government would decide the criteria for sponsoring the education of gifted boys and girls, who were capable of getting into Ivy league schools and other renowned universities but were unable to go due to financial restraints.

Maryam also said that she would revive the youth loan programme that was launched by her father Nawaz Sharif, which also included schemes for providing interest-free loans, skills training and devices such as laptops and tablets.

She further said that there were several government internship programmes currently underway but they were not paid. “So I have told the institutions to increase the internship programmes and to make them paid so that the intern is paid a minimum of Rs25,000,” she said.

Terming information technology startups “low-hanging” fruit, she promised to provide the youth with the resources to start their own businesses. “For startups, we will also set up incubators and will do hand-holding and ensure that they reach their end goal,” she said.

Maryam said that a plan had also been formulated to give students electric motorbikes. She said that she would continue to interact with the youth and her doors would always be open for them.

School transport system for Punjab; centres for differently-abled children

Maryam also announced that she would introduce a school transport system in Punjab. She said that she would also focus on developing the curriculums of government schools.

“It is my dream, as a mother, that no child should be out of school due to a lack of finances, that they get the best education,” Maryam said.

“I am working on a model for a private-public partnership to incentivise education,” she said.

Talking about differently-abled children, she said that state-of-the-art education centres would be established in each district.

Punjab’s ‘first air ambulance’; free medicines

Maryam said that her first priority was to ensure the presence of capable doctors as well as equipment at basic health units, rural health centres and tehsil headquarter hospitals.

She asserted that she wanted each district of the province to have a “state-of-the-art hospital”, so that patients would not have to travel extensively for medical treatment.

“After five years when I leave the government, I want that there is no district which does not have a state-of-the-art hospital,” she said, vowing to achieve this within five years.

“Free medicines will be provided at every government hospital across the province from today onwards,” she said.

Maryam also stated that Punjab’s first air ambulance would be announced within the next 12 weeks to improve healthcare for the people living in mountainous and hilly areas.

She also said that she had directed Rescue 1122 to begin a “motorised ambulance service”. Maryam said that she would also introduce an “effective health care” for the province.

Dedicated helpline for women; daycare centres at workplaces

Maryam emphasised that the safety of women in the province was her first priority. “Therefore, I am announcing a dedicated helpline for women,” she said.

Mariam asserted that she wanted to create a better, safer Punjab for women, adding that it was her responsibility to provide women with a safe and secure environment.

She added that she would work on creating “respectable” working women hostels. “As a mother, I understand that working women worry about their children,” she said, stating that she “will work to create daycare centres at every workplace”.

“Harassing any woman is Maryam Nawaz’s red line,” she affirmed. Maryam lauded Gulberg Circle ASP Shehr Bano for protecting the life of a girl wearing a dress with Arabic calligraphy from an attack by a charged mob in Lahore yesterday.

“To empower women financially, socially and professionally, Maryam Nawaz is willing to work 24/7,” she said.

Package for transgender community

Furthermore, she said she had a special package in the works for the transgender community to bring them into mainstream society.

She said it was her responsibility to protect marginalised communities — including women and minorities — and change “societal attitudes” towards them.

She said minorities were the “crowning glory” of the country. She said she dreamed of a Punjab where any minority did not have to spend “the night in fear.”

Digital Punjab

Maryam said that it was now “high time” to focus on “digital Punjab”. She said it was her plan to create at least five digital cities by the end of her tenure.

She also said she had given someone the responsibility of bringing “tech giants” to the country. “Whatever incentive they require, the resources they need, the government of Punjab will provide […] we will ask them to come and open their offices in Punjab,” she said.

Maryam also pledged to provide free WiFi in major cities of Punjab. She said that a pilot project would soon be launched in Lahore. She asserted that she would also revive e-libraries in the province.

She said that it was the Punjab’s government responsibility to facilitate each and every young person interested in artificial intelligence and machine-learning to enhance their skills.

Safe City projects in major cities

Maryam said that a “safe” Punjab was her dream. She noted that the Safe City project was introduced in Lahore, adding that it could also help in improving the traffic system.

“In the first phase, we are introducing Safe City projects in 18 cities. At the end of five years, then each district will have an extensive Safe City project,” she said.

She asserted that this would improve the crime rate in the province. She said that she would also introduce women police stations. She said that she would also have “zero tolerance” for police high-handedness.

Commenting on the incident in Taxila, where a police officer slapped an elderly lady, she said that she would order and investigation.

She further said that she would work on improving the police’s response time.

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Can CM Maryam Nawaz finally evolve from ‘Nawaz ki beti’ to ‘Qoum ki beti’?

By: Inter News on February 26, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

“I will prove myself to be my father’s strength, not his weakness,” announced Maryam as she exited the Federal Judicial Academy (FJA) in July 2017, after recording her statement before the joint investigation team probing the Sharif family’s business dealings abroad.

She appeared composed, her focused gaze speaking louder than her words. For the last several months, Maryam and her family had found themselves besieged by a fortitude of corruption allegations, which would ultimately land her a short stint in prison and force her father, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, into yet another self-imposed exile. But all of that was yet to come.

On that fateful Wednesday in the federal capital, by the time her short speech ended, Maryam Nawaz had announced herself as a major force in Pakistan’s shifting political landscape — and the world had noticed.

Race to the top

This was hardly Maryam’s first foray into the country’s political arena. She had been actively involved in the party’s election campaign in the run-up to the 2013 elections, while also heading the PML-N’s social media wing during and after the polls. In 2014, she was made chairperson of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme until her appointment was challenged in the Lahore High Court a year later, forcing her to resign. She was later seen distributing laptops to students on behalf of the Punjab government even though she held no elected office either in the province or at the Centre.

In 2016, when the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif had to undergo open-heart surgery, it wasn’t the Prime Minister’s Office or the information ministry that had control over the biggest story of the time. It was Maryam who became the centre of media attention, providing up-to-date and regular updates on her father’s condition to his adoring public via her Twitter (now X) account. From announcing the prime minister’s decision to undergo major surgery to tweeting his first picture after the procedure, Maryam’s Twitter feed provided minute details about how much time the patient would spend inside the intensive care unit (ICU), as well as his tentative plans to come back home.

At the time too, Maryam’s control over the government’s messaging raised some eyebrows, but the issue came to a head much later when audio clips of her phone conversations with then Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed were leaked in which she was issuing instructions to refuse advertisements to certain TV channels. Maryam would later admit that the audio clip was genuine but defended herself by saying that she had been referring to party ads.

Jumping into the fray

By all accounts, Maryam’s first real test in electoral politics came in September 2017, when she led the party’s campaign in the by-elections for the NA-120 seat, which was left vacant by Nawaz Sharif’s ouster in the Panama case verdict. Here, Maryam campaigned for her ailing mother, Kulsoom Nawaz, who ended up winning the seat, albeit with the victory margin shrinking considerably. Pundits would debate whether this was actually a victory for the embattled PML-N — after all, this was the constituency that the party and the Sharif family had dominated for almost three decades. “It was inconceivable that they could be defeated”, wrote journalist Zahid Hussain.

For Maryam, however, this would be the moment she finally cast her shell and declared herself the heir to Nawaz Sharif’s political empire. “For a party with a conservative social ethos and very few women in senior party and cabinet positions, her taking charge has been a positive change,” observed Zahid Hussain. “But being the daughter of the top leader surely makes a huge difference in a dynastic political culture.”

The journey was more difficult than she had imagined, Maryam would admit. In an interview with Voice of America’s Irum Abbasi, she described how women who were in the limelight or the public eye, particularly in leading roles, faced harsher criticism than their male counterparts. “If a woman has formed ideals, principles, ideologies, convictions, values and wants to carve a niche for herself, it will always be viewed with a little suspicion,” she said, adding that despite the resistance from within the party’s ranks, she was “pleasantly surprised” by how accepting the people of Pakistan were.

Whether “the people” accepted her or not, one thing that was clear to all was that her ascendency had come at a huge cost — both to Maryam on a personal level as well as to the party, many of whose stalwarts weren’t too impressed by how quickly she had moved up the ranks, particularly in a party that was all too male-dominated and had hardly any women in leadership roles.

The backlash

As she moved into the spotlight, Maryam found herself increasingly at the receiving end of misogynistic remarks, ranging from comments on her clothes to her age. While much of the vitriol directed at her came from the PTI, social media too raged with discussions on her choice of luxury clothes and accessories, as well as the way she looked at her age. Even her appearance at her son, Junaid Safdar’s wedding, drew flak from social media users, with some going as far as accusing her of “spoiling the day” for her daughter-in-law by looking too good for her age.

But it wasn’t just her political opponents who stood against her. After Nawaz’s ouster, Maryam became the party’s anti-establishment face — even earlier, she was widely suspected to have leaked a story about the government’s confrontation with top military brass over countering militancy — counting the injustices done to her father over the years. This antagonism did not go down too well with some of the party’s senior leadership — chief among them, former interior minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who said that Maryam needed to “prove herself”. Thus, the schism between the Shehbaz group and the Maryam group finally emerged for everyone to see.

Even those who weren’t opposed to the anti-establishment rhetoric were not too pleased with the way Maryam had been handed the party’s reins by her father. Thus began a tug of war, but as is the case with dynastic politics anywhere, blood runs thicker than competence or meritocracy.

Soon enough, the disgruntlement saw other party stalwarts break ranks, most prominent among them former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who said he had “stepped down from the party office within an hour of the announcement” of Maryam’s elevation to the roles of senior vice president and chief organiser. Then there was Miftah Ismail, who would get instructions from Maryam on Twitter, and who yet again became victim of the infighting between the two camps and was promptly replaced as finance minister by Ishaq Dar.

Perhaps the biggest setback in all this was for Maryam’s cousin, Hamza Shehbaz, who until now, had been projected as the Sharif brothers’ natural successor. Suddenly, however, the PML-N found another option in the charming Maryam to stand up to its latest foe, the PTI, which had branded itself the party of the youth. In doing so, the party hoped the fresh face would help improve its image, which had been ripped apart by by Imran Khan’s constant political pillory against the Sharifs. But that was not to be, for soon Maryam found herself in the crosshairs over the alleged ownership of multiple offshore properties, including the infamous London flats.

What next?

Unfazed by the infighting and the criticism, however, Maryam powered on, less as the party’s vice-president [which was now her formal title] and more as the most vocal defender of her father’s brand of politics. In doing so, she became the anti-establishment poster child, addressing rallies of charged supporters and naming judges and generals who had wronged her father.

Over the years, Maryam has carefully curated a political persona for herself, while surrounding herself with a coterie of fiery orators like Marriyum Aurangzeb, who would go on to clinch prominent positions within the party.

But much of what she has accomplished until now has been a fight for her father’s vindication. As Maryam takes oath as chief minister — the first time a woman has been elected to the role — she can no longer just be her father’s daughter; she is after all, responsible for administering the country’s most populous, and by many measures, its most powerful province.

In her victory speech on Monday, Maryam said: “I want to tell the opposition — which isn’t here — that if you have any issue in your constituency, I will be as accessible to you as I would be for a PML-N MPA. Because now, I am not the chief minister of the PML-N, I am the representative of 120m people — across political divides.”

Ultimately, Maryam Nawaz’s journey from being seen as a symbol of dynastic privilege to becoming a leader in her own right echoes a truth that transcends politics: true strength is not just inheriting a legacy, but forging your own.

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Punjab Assembly: Maryam becomes Pakistan’s first female CM, says she has no desire to ‘seek revenge’

By: Inter News on February 26, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

Amid boycotts and delays, the Punjab Assembly on Monday elected PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz as the first female chief minister of the province and Pakistan.

Maryam clinched an overwhelming victory with 220 votes against rival Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

Initially, the SIC — which is now home to the PTI-backed independent candidates who won the general election — had nominated Mian Aslam Iqbal, MPA-elect from Lahore, for the slot. However, it later replaced him with Aftab from Faisalabad, a former PPP jiyala, as Iqbal had not come to the House to take oath as MPA, fearing his arrest by the Punjab police.

Ahead of the session today, Maryam first visited her mother’s grave and then arrived at the Punjab Assembly, which was scheduled to convene at 11am.

However, the session began almost two hours later than scheduled as the SIC alleged its MPAs were not allowed to enter the assembly premises. When the ball finally got rolling at 1pm, 103 SIC lawmakers staged a walkout.

Following the boycott, Speaker Malik announced that the session would continue in the absence of the SIC members and signalled the MPAs present in the house to gather on opposite sides of the aisle after which voting was held.

Upon the completion of the process, the results were announced and Maryam was declared the 30th chief minister of Punjab and the first woman to rule the largest province of the country.

After the election, Maryam, along with her father Nawaz Sharif and uncle Shehbaz Sharif, took oath as the Punjab chief minister at a ceremony at the Governor House.

‘No desire for revenge’

In her an hour and a half-long victory speech — during which she held a framed of her later mother Kulsoom — Maryam stated that she was upset at the opposition boycott. “I wish they had been a part of the political and democratic process,” she said.

“If the opposition was present today, and if they had protested during my speech, I would have been happy,” said Maryam. She thanked the opposition for “putting her through a struggle which has no comparison”, citing the numerous court cases, the imprisonment of her father and the death of her mother.

“I want to give a message to the opposition: the doors of my chamber and heart will always remain open for them as they are for the members of my party,” Maryam said.

“It is natural that when people are subject to victimisation the way I have been, they harbour hatred. I want to say today, that I do not seek revenge, nor do I have hatred for anyone,” she clarified.

Maryam further highlighted that history was made with her election today and dedicated the victory to all the women in the country. “This is a testament that being a woman [or] a daughter will not come in the way of your dreams,” she said.

Maryam also thanked her father, PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif, for his “handholding” and for imparting invaluable advice.

“It gives me immense pride today to be in the same seat that a visionary like Nawaz Sharif was in, who is the only person among 250 million Pakistanis to have held the position of prime minister three times,” she stressed and vowed to take forward the PML-N’s legacy.

She also stated that the PML-N’s key objectives during her tenure would be the provision of employment, education and healthcare.

“I was born in an affluent household but […] I got a chance to hold direct interactions with the common people and I am aware of their problems […] I know the expectations they have from the government.

“Therefore, from today onwards, after the oath, I will go to my office and begin the implementation of my manifesto,” she said.

“I know that five years are too little, 24 hours aren’t enough. Not from tomorrow, but from today, after I take the oath, I will act on my manifesto as soon as I get to my office,” she said.

She also announced a Ramazan relief package, Nigheban, for the province. She said it included essentials worth Rs6.5 to Rs7 million which would be distributed to the public during Ramazan.

“The package will be delivered to their doorstep,” she said. Maryam added that marketplaces providing essential items at subsidised rates would also be set up.

She added that she planned to transform Punjab into an “economic hub” by creating an enabling environment for businessmen. She said the government’s job was to create policies and regulations, adding that she had plans to enhance public-private partnerships.

She added that “incentives were necessary” for the private sector in order to foster economic stability.

She further said that free medicines would be provided at every government hospital across the province from today. She vowed to build one state-of-the-art hospital in every city of Punjab.

Maryam also stated that Punjab’s first air ambulance would be announced within the next 12 weeks to improve healthcare for the people living in mountainous and hilly areas.

In her speech, Maryam also asserted that the safety of women in the province was her first priority. “Therefore, I am announcing a dedicated helpline for women,” she said.

She said women would also be provided proper facilities, including separate washrooms and daycare centres, at workplaces. “Harassing any woman is Maryam Nawaz’s red line,” she affirmed.

CM Maryam also lauded Gulber Circle ASP Shehr Bano for protecting a girl wearing a dress with Arabic calligraphy on it from an attack by a charged mob in Lahore yesterday.

Further, she maintained that there would be zero tolerance for police high-handedness, adding that the recent incident in Taxila — where a cop slapped an elderly woman — would be investigated.

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Pacer Haris Rauf ruled out of PSL after dislocating shoulder

By: Inter News on February 25, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

Lahore Qalandars’ Haris Rauf has been ruled out of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) after dislocating his shoulder during last night’s defeat to Karachi Kings, the franchise said on Sunday.

In a press release, the franchise said that Haris fell on his shoulder in the 20th over while completing a catch to dismiss Kings’ Hasan Ali.

“Despite the injury, he walked off with his arm strapped and underwent scans. Rauf had an exceptional performance, bowling the most economical four overs last night, conceding 22 runs with one wicket, playing a crucial role in the final over to pull the game,” the Qalandars said.

It went on to say that after consultation, the medical panel had concluded that Haris needed four to six weeks to recover, forcing him to miss the PSL season.

The press release quoted Team Director Sameen Rana, as saying that Haris had been a crucial asset to the team’s bowling attack and his absence would be felt.

“It’s not a major injury or any broken bone, but considering him as a valuable asset for Pakistan, we didn’t want to risk his national prospects. Lahore Qalandars remain determined and focused on delivering strong performances in the remaining PSL matches,” he said.

Meanwhile, Qalandars’ skipper Shaheen Afridi said the team was deeply saddened by Haris’ injury, adding that it was painful to see him missing out as he had been a pillar of strength for their side.

“His absence will be felt,” Shaheen said.

“It’s indeed a setback for the franchise, but he is also Pakistan’s main bowler, and with a lot of cricket coming up, a pragmatic approach was to give him maximum time to recover,” Shaheen said, adding that he wished the pacer a speedy recovery and we eagerly await his return to the field.

“Our thoughts and support are with him during this challenging time,” he added.

It should be mentioned that earlier this month, the Pakistan Cricket Board had terminated Haris’ central contract following a probe into his alleged refusal to join Pakistan’s Test squad for the tour of Australia 2023-24.

Last year in November, chief selector Wahab Riaz said that Haris had refused to take part in the Test tour of Australia and told selectors he wanted to focus on white ball cricket to manage his workload.

“After a thorough hearing process conducted by a PCB committee and taking into consideration the views of all stakeholders involved in the matter, Haris’ central contract has been terminated from December 1, 2023, and no NOC (No objection certificate) to play any foreign league will be granted up to June 30, 2024,” the cricket board said.

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Qatar plans new gas output boost amid global price collapse

By: Inter News on February 25, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

Qatar will further raise gas production despite a steep drop in global gas prices, pushing ahead with plans to extract more of the resource amidst fierce competition with rivals such as the United States.

QatarEnergy chief Saad al-Kaabi announced on Sunday a new expansion of its liquefied natural gas production that will add a further 16 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to existing expansion plans, bringing total capacity to 142 mtpa.

The Qatari announcement comes as US gas prices trade near an all-time low if adjusted to inflation after a decade of meteoric rises in output which made the US one of the top oil and gas exporters.

Prices of gas in Europe also fell steeply despite a drop in Russian supplies after the US and Qatar helped replace lost volumes.

Kaabi said gas markets in Asia would continue to grow and Europe would still need more gas for the foreseeable future.

“We still think there’s a big future for gas for at least 50 years forward and whenever we can technically do more, we’ll do more,” he said at a press conference to announce the expansion in Doha.

“We see that Europe is going to need gas for a very, very long time. But the growth in Asia is definitely going to be bigger than the growth in Europe, basically driven by population growth.”

With this added boost, the overall expansion of the North Field from 77 mtpa currently to 142 mtpa by 2030 represents an increase of 85 per cent in production.

Qatar is among the world’s top exporters of LNG, competition for which had ramped up since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.

Despite the price drop all major gas producers including the US, Australia and Russia want to further increase output betting on further demand growth and worries that their gas might not be needed decades from now if energy transition makes green energy cheaper.

This latest expansion may not be the last for the Gulf energy giant as Kaabi said appraisal of Qatari gas reservoirs would continue and production would be further expanded if there is a market need.

Two more trains

State-owned QatarEnergy has already signed a string of supply deals with European and Asian partners in its massive North Field expansion project, which was expected — prior to Sunday’s announcement — to begin producing 126 million mtpa of LNG per annum by 2027, from the current 77 mtpa.

Exploration activities in the west of North Field prompted the company’s decision to expand further.

Kaabi did not give a cost for the project but said it would be in the billions of dollars.

“It is difficult to give you a number now for the cost of the expansion, but it is certainly in billions,” he said.

“We will start preliminary engineering studies for the project and then at the right time we will announce how much the cost when the project is settled.”

In December, Kaabi told Reuters that QatarEnergy had been drilling wells to assess expansion opportunities beyond the North Field East and North Field South phases.

This latest expansion will require the construction of two LNG trains, in addition to six already underway for the earlier expansions.

On partnerships for the new trains, Kaabi said QatarEnergy will go ahead and begin the engineering phase of this project on its own without seeking partners and then take a decision on partnerships later.

The North Field is part of the world’s largest gas field which Qatar shares with Iran, which calls its share South Pars.

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India’s Assam scraps colonial-era Muslim marriage law

By: Inter News on February 25, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

India’s Assam state has scrapped an 89-year-old law that allowed marriage involving underage Muslims, against opposition from leaders of the minority community who called the plan an attempt to polarise voters on religious lines ahead of elections.

Assam, which has the highest percentage of Muslims among Indian states at 34 per cent, has previously said it wants to implement uniform civil laws for marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance, as the state of Uttarakhand did earlier this month.

Nationwide, Hindus, Muslims, Christians and other groups follow their own laws and customs or a secular code for such matters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has promised a Uniform Civil Code, opposed by Muslims.

Assam repealed the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935, effective from Feb 24, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X on Saturday.

“This act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21… This move marks another significant step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam.”

Asked by Reuters on Sunday whether the northeastern state would implement a Uniform Civil Code before general elections due by May, Sarma said: “Not immediately”.

Many Muslims in Assam trace their roots to the neighbouring Bengali-speaking and Muslim-majority country of Bangladesh. Tension often flares between the Muslims and ethnic Assamese, who are mostly Hindu.

The BJP, the governing party in Assam — and Uttarakhand — calls itself the champion of ethnic communities.

Muslim opposition leaders said repealing the colonial-era law was discriminatory.

“They want to polarise their voters by provoking Muslims, which Muslims will not let happen,” Badruddin Ajmal, a lawmaker from Assam who heads the All India United Democratic Front that mainly fights for Muslim causes, told reporters on Saturday.

“It’s a first step towards bringing a Uniform Civil Code, but this is how the BJP government will come to an end in Assam.”

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MPAs-elect set to take oath today as rival parties call for protest

By: Inter News on February 24, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

• Red zone sealed for maiden Sindh Assembly session
• Minister says rallies are not allowed under Section 144

KARACHI: As newly elected members of the provincial legislature are set to take oath in the maiden session of the Sindh Assembly on Saturday (today), Karachi braces for a political showdown as five rival parties announced on Friday their plan to gather in front of the assembly to lodge their ‘peaceful’ protest against ‘bogus’ elections.

The caretaker provincial government has already announced imposing restrictions on holding rallies or gatherings of public in the so-called ‘Red Zone’ area, wherein the Sindh Assembly is located.

The maiden session of the provincial assembly will begin at 11am on Saturday with newly-elected members, mainly belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, taking oath of the 16th provincial assembly, as the elected members of other parties have decided to boycott the proceedings in protest against ‘faulty’ election results.

Extraordinary security arrangements have been made for the maiden session of the provincial assembly and only those persons holding the entry passes with identity cards of the institutions they belong to would be allowed entry on the premises.

The Grand Democratic Alliance, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Jamaat-i-Islami, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf and Mohajir Quami Movement-Haqqiqi on Friday announced that they would hold a peaceful protest in front of the provincial assembly building, adding that the elected members of the GDA, JI and PTI’s independents would not take oath of the assembly.

Caretaker Sindh Information Minister Ahmed Shah told Dawn said that strict security measures would be taken in and around the provincial assembly in view of the first session.

“Section 144 has been imposed in the Red Zone and the entire area has been cordoned off to ensure smooth arrival and departure of the newly-elected members of the assembly,” he added.

Meanwhile, a meeting, held at the Central Police Office Karachi with IGP Rifaat Mukhtar in the chair, viewed the current situation of law and order in the province, especially Karachi and gave guidelines while discussing security measures and strategies.

The IGP directed the city police chief to provide complete security to the roads keeping in mind the arrival and departure of members of the Sindh Assembly.

He further instructed that a crowd management unit should also be deployed for the convenience of the people on the occasion of the Sindh Assembly session so that any untoward incident could be dealt with.

Governor Kamran Tessori late on Thursday called the first session of the provincial assembly approving caretaker Chief Minister retired Justice Maqbool Baqar’s recommendation.

Assembly sources said that there would be only one-point agenda for the first sitting of the assembly, ie oath taking of newly-elected members.

The sitting of the assembly for the election of the speaker will be presided over by the out-going speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, or, in his absence, by the person nominated by the governor.

They said that the house would be adjourned after the oath taking ceremony most probably to Tuesday when the house would elect new speaker, deputy speaker and leader of the house.

Opposition parties announce protest today

The five political parties at a meeting at the residence of GDA chief coordinator Sadruddin Shah Rashidi also decided to form a 10-member committee of the parties to evolve the future plan and protest strategy.

Addressing a press conference along with JUI-F Sindh Ameer Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rahman and PTI Sindh president Haleem Adil Shaikh, Mr Rashidi said that various proposals against the bogus election were discussed at the meeting of the five parties.

He said that it was agreed that the peaceful protest would continue until the return of the snatched public mandate, adding that they had successfully staged sit-ins in Jamshoro and Moro against the bogus election results. “We have decided to stage protest in front of the Sindh Assembly on Friday at 11am,” he announced.

The GDA chief coordinator said that the elected members belonging to the GDA, JI and PTI would not take oath of the assembly, adding that the ‘fraudulent’ election was not acceptable to people of the province.

He said that Chief Election Commissioner was involved in the theft of the people’s mandate and demanded his resignation.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2024

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