Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan has summoned the session of Sindh Assembly tomorrow (Saturday) at 11 am at new Sindh Assembly Building.

Senior Minister for Finance, Syed Murad Ali Shah, would present annual budget 2016-17 of Rs 835 billion. The provincial assembly officials have started a biometric database registration of all the visitors and media personnel along with their vehicles and did not permitted anyone to enter the assembly premises without requisite stickers on Thursday.

Sources said that no passes have been issued to the media and other visitors by the authorities of Sindh Assembly yet and strict security measures would be ensured for budget session.

Sources said that strict security measures have been taken after the incident in House, when a private TV channel host and another associate managed to enter the assembly premises with pistol adding that the security of Sindh Assembly has been beefed up after the incident and media personals were forced to wait for further clearance in long queues including the lawmakers during the previous month’s session.

It is learnt that after a database registration, further re-verification of the computerised national identity cards (CNICs) and other belongings for issuance of passes and tokens are under process to allow lawmakers, media personnel and other visitors on the occasion.

Sources said that the entry into the Sindh Assembly building would be allowed after the database registration and fingerprint scan along with photo verification of the concerned.

Earlier, Sindh Assembly had also released a handout for obtaining entry passes for print and electronic media after a recommendation letter from their concerned organisations with accredited cards of media persons along with their CNICs.

Daily Times has learnt that Sindh Assembly through Sindh Information Department had issued over 1,700 passes for news organisations during SA sessions, but now they would be limited after re-verification and biometric database registration process. Sources told Daily Times that till the filling of this report; the entry passes of Sindh Assembly would not be issued to media and visitors till 24 hours of the budget 2016-17 session.