KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly adopted a resolution on Wednesday condemning the Pakistan Islands Development Authority Ordinance and demanding of the federal government for its withdrawal. The ordinance, promulgated by the Centre, has met with increasing criticism from several corners since it first came into public knowledge.
The resolution caused uproar in the house as all opposition parties in the Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government, with the exception of the Grand Democratic Alliance and few members of PTI and TLP, opposed the move and staged a walkout in the provincial assembly.
MQM and PTI lawmakers protested against the resolution while GDA and one of the PTI MPA Sheharyar Shar supported the resolution, condemning the PTI-led federal government’s move to encroach Sindh islands to build a modern city.
Tahreek-e-labaik Pakistan (TLP) also supported the resolution and called upon the federal government to withdraw the decision. Speaking on the floor of the house, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the ordinance promulgated by the Centre is unconstitutional and the Maritime Act clearly indicates the territorial waters around the Karachi shore.
According to Article 132 of the Constitution, not only islands and maritime boundaries but minerals underneath them are also the property of the provinces, said the chief minister. “The Sindh government has not issued any NOC to build a new city over the islands,” he maintained.
Amid the deeply charged political atmosphere that has only heightened since the 11-party alliance announced its movement against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government, the concerns of the local populace, environmentalists, fishing communities, academics, and civil activists are likely to be swept under the carpet as the rift between political opponents widens.
