Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani chaired post budget session started on Tuesday and the electronic media particularly cameramen were advised to cover direct proceedings from assembly’s media box installed near boundary wall at main entrance of Sindh Assembly gate due to security reasons.

The opposition party leaders Khuwaja Izhar, Nand Kumar, Mehtab Akber Rashdi and others condemned the ban on live coverage by electronic media and said that they will not support this act.

The opposition leaders said, “They will resist against the decision of ban on cameramen and live coverage so that speaker of the house should reconsider his decision for the good relation in the media community.

Sindh Assembly Speaker Agah Siraj Durani during the session disclosed that a big conspiracy was hatched against Sindh Assembly so due to the security reasons only cameras are prohibited till indefinite period of time but there is no ban on live coverage.

He said the ban on cameras should not be politicised and the media personnel are our friends, but one of the James Bond son entered with pistol and may came again adding that the ban on cameras are temporary to fulfil the requirements of foolproof security.

During the budget debate and discussion, opposition member Sardar Ahmed criticised and questioned that increase in taxes is a wrong decision of government.

He suggested that old and unemployed poor people should be given relief package and the price of wheat floor should be less for poor people.

Nisar Khuhro, Khuwaja Izhar, Sharmeela Farooqi and others condemned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Isaaf (PTI) workers on humiliation of Pakistan people’s Party (PPP) MPA Shamim Mumtaz during the development work in her area.

Shamim said the PTI workers Umer Khan, Shahid Khattak, Asad threatened PPP workers. Nisar Khuhro said that he would move a resolution against such behaviour of PTI activists.

PTI MPA Samar Ali Khan said that if the said act would be proved they would act against it, while Sharmeel Farooqi condemned the act.

Sharmeela said those claimed to end load shedding should consider for change of name and further criticised that the small provinces are facing several problems despite of Rs 800 billion only Rs 200 billion were allocated for small provinces.

She said Sindh province did not received its due share of NFC Award worth Rs 112 billion from federal government, but Punjab is enjoying blue, yellow and green bus services.

The Sindh Assembly has announced for all the media personnel associated with print as well as electronic media that the cameras inside the assembly building and the live coverage of assembly proceedings has been cancelled for time being due to security reasons. It is learnt that those channels, which desire coverage of assembly proceedings, need to get coverage from Sindh Assembly’s media box installed near boundary wall of assembly’s gate.

Meanwhile, the authorities of Sindh Assembly on Tuesday banned reporters from brining their laptops to the media gallery.

Earlier, the authorities of Sindh Assembly had banned bringing cameras to the media gallery for live coverage. However, some reporters on Tuesday who use laptop instead of paper and pen, when came to the assembly gate, they were informed that the laptops are also banned. When these reporters requested to deposit their laptops at the entrance gate of Sindh Assembly, the assembly staff at the gate rudely refused.

It is a very difficult situation for reporters, as they could not leave their laptops on footpath. A few of them managed to leave their laptops with their friends in nearby offices. The assembly session adjourned till today (Wednesday).