Lawmakers clash in Sindh Assembly over Larkana HIV cases

Author: Agencies

Government and opposition members clashed with each other in the Sindh Assembly on Friday over the detection of HIV cases in Larkana.

According to a private TV channel, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Haleem Adil Sheikh asked Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani to allow him to debate the issue. However, his request was denied. When Sheikh protested, Durrani reprimanded him, asking him to speak politely. The opposition members then staged a protest in the assembly. They raised slogans against the government.

They also surrounded the speaker’s rostrum. Treasury members confronted them. There was also a physical altercation between Sheikh and PPP’s Mumtaz Jakhrani.

Haleem Adil Shaikh demanded the Sindh government declare AIDS emergency in whole of Sindh province. He also deposited a resolution in Sindh Assembly to demand controlling AIDS and declaring AIDS emergency in Sindh.

“AIDS is spreading fast in Ratodero, Larkana. Other districts of Sindh are also being affected by AIDS. The Sindh health department has failed to give basic healthcare facilities to people. The government hospitals and basic health centers do not have proper facilities or sufficient number of doctors,” he said.

“Sindh previously more than 15,000 AIDS/HIV patients. Recently 11,000 people were screened in Ratodero. Out of them, 547 are found to be infected with AIDS. Other towns like Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Hyderabad, Dadu, Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah, Sanghar and Khairpur are also affected by AIDS,” he said. He demanded immediate AIDS emergency in Sindh province and arranging screening and testing facilities in every government hospital.