December 12, 2009
By Irfan Aligi
KARACHI: City Council has passed two Council resolutions CR), which pertained to selection of City District Government Karachi’s (CDGK) 14 Schools as model English medium schools alongwith appointment of a private publisher, which books would be solely prescribed for the syllabus.
The second CR was for medical facility for employees of 18 Town Municipal Administrations and 178 union councils (UC) at CDGK hospitals.
Leader of the house Muhammad Asif Siddiqui on point of order said that the citizens’ agony was escalating day by day as the sugar crisis kept on worsening in the city.
He claimed that the authorities have failed to ensure availability and sale of sugar at Rs 40 per kg in light of directives of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Speaking on another point of order, Siddiqui focused the CR for CDGK employees’ medical facility. He said that employees of 18 TMAs and 178 UCs deserve for free medical facility at CDGK’s hospitals, lacking which frustration has prevailed in the lines of these employees, which need to be addressed appropriately.
He suggested the house should pass the CR on the issue of sugar so as to send a strong message to higher authorities portraying citizens’ true anguish.
Jamaat-e Islami’s (JI) Al-Khidmat Group (AKG) leader in the house, Rafique Ahmed after he had asked a question to Siddiqui said on point of order that the employees of towns and UCs were already benefiting from such facility except that they lacked medical cards.
The house passed the CR unanimously.
The CR on 14 schools and appointing a private publisher, Gaba and sons, for providing books to these schools as part of syllabus led to heated debate and the opposition benches had vehemently opposed the idea.
JI AKG’s Ahmed, Ramzan Awan, Sheikh Mehboob Ur Rehman, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Awam Dost Group’s (ADG) Shamim Mumtaz, Haji Muhammad Jumman Darwan, Awami National Party’s (ANP) Khidmatgar Group’s (KG) Dr Ziauddin Ahmed and Abdul Razzaque and other opposition members termed the CR was a step toward promoting division of citizens into different social classes.
They questioned as why other schools from other TMAs were not chosen to serve as model English medium schools.
They alleged that the treasury Benches had deviated from claims of their party leaders by favouring a their own political party, which they called dual standard.
Ahmed said that appointing a private Publishers was more dangerous than Drone attacks because the publisher hails from a particular religious community.
He added that that particular religious community had panicked the whole country with syllabus that carried reproductive and sex related subjects for primary school level and it was in contrast to Islamic ethics and modesty.
He plainly vowed that the appointment of the publisher was unacceptable because the publisher could not be allowed to destroy Islamic norms and values and future of next generations.
He further said that the treasury benches have tried to create unrest in the country.
JI AKG Ramzan Awan on point of order said that the class system in the country would get a boost if the house passed the CR and allowed the publisher to be selected.
He claimed that the treasury benches have proved their party believed in dual class system, one for the rich and the privileged that constitute only 2 percent of the whole population and one for the deprived that are 98 percent.
PPP ADG Haji Muhammad Jumman Darwan said on point of order that the treasury benches have become suspicious for their aims.
He demanded that the treasury benches should adopt uniform policy at their headquarters and the city council.
PPP ADG Shamim Mumtaz said on point of order that in recent past, the house had rejected the Agha Khan Foundation’s syllabus unanimously. Henceforth, the house should also reject appointment of the publisher from same community.
She requested the house should adjourn the CT till next session so that the house could debate on it.
She claimed that the treasury benches have tried to favour a mafia by selecting specific 14 schools in a few towns under selective titles of schools. The construction of roads, flyovers, underpasses and Signal free Corridors was part of a plan to favour 2 percent of the whole population only while the treasury benches claim on behalf their party that they have been struggling for the rights of the deprived 98 percent people of the country.
She also claimed that certain schools in other towns such as Liyari and Bin Qasim have greatly improved school building and academic standard but these were ignored.
ANP KG leader Dr Ziauddin said on point of order that the treasury benches were trying to get certain CR passed at a time when the tenure was simply enjoying an extension period.
He remarked that the treasury benches should have done these works during actual period of four-year so that the citizens could see the things improved.
Treasury Benches Imran Ahmed being CDGK education committee chairman explained the house about whereabouts of the CR. He defended the appointment of the Publishers adding that the Sindh Text Book Board (STBB) approved the books from private publishers while two other private publishers; STBB and the Oxford University Press were also part of it.
He regretted that the opposition had tried to exploit the issue, which was in the interest of people. He said that the Haq Parast leadership has been striving to improve education standard and allowing the non-privileged people to avail facilities equal to those enjoyed by the privileged class in the country.
Treasury Benches M A Jalil and Arshad Qureshi also spoke on point of orders. They claimed that the City Nazim had already approved 36 model English medium schools, 2 in each TMA of the city. Some of them have been ready and would soon be functional.
Jalil rejected opposition benches claim that the member national assembly and provincial assembly had spent their specific funds on selective ethnic group of people. He said that MNA or MPA were legally bound for spending their special funds for the welfare of people of their respective constituencies.
The senior presiding officer Masood Mehmood had convened the session due to absence of Custodian of the House and City Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil, who was on sick leave.
“Salman Mujahid Baloch from the treasury Benches boycotted the session when he insisted on speaking on other issues while the Senior Presiding Officer had not allowed him to speak on issues other than the issue of sugar crisis.
The Senior Presiding Officer had repeatedly asked him to speak on sugar crisis only but despite repeated warnings, Baloch kept on speaking on other public issues. Finally, the Senior Presiding Officer had to shut his mike.
Baloch angrily said that since he was not allowed to speak on public issues so he would boycott the session in protest to attitude of the Senior Presiding Officer. Baloch then boycotted the session and went out of the house.
However, some treasury benches members had brought him back in to the house. Leader of the House, Muhammad Asif Siddiqui had condemned Baloch’s boycott, however, some treasury members had brought Baloch back in the house”.
The House offered prayers for speedy recovery of Nasreen Jalil and also offered prayers for martyrs of recent victims of suicide bombings in Lahore and Peshawar especially for martyrs of Pakistan Army.
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