The mover, Nida Khuhro - a female lawmaker of ruling PPP felt the relocation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from Karachi to Islamabad will create grow 'sense of deprivation' among the people Sindh, calling the proposed move as 'biased decision' during her speech on the resolution she tabled in the house.
Sindh Local Government Minister, Saeed Ghani vowed to resist the relocation of PIA headquarters to Islamabad, saying that move will also create unemployment. "The purpose behind the relocation of PIA is to create unemployment," he claimed. MQM's Kunwar Naveed Jameel demanded of the federal government to reconsider its decision, saying that first capital of the country and then head offices of banks were moved from here.
MMA's Syed Abdul Rasheed said that the federal government should focus on the PIA's rebuilding and make efforts to end its long-running problems. "The federal government has to fulfill its responsibility," he said and urged everyone to get out of the Islamabad phobia. MQM's Javed Hanif called the relocation of PIA a part of 'great game', saying that the country's flag carrier is being targeted after destroyed the Steel Mills.
The PTI did not take part in debate and had walked out of the house before the resolution was tabled for discussion. The house also approved Syed Abdul Rasheed's resolution on Lyari's master plan, asking the government to focus on the city's oldest areas' restructuring. The mover said that Lyari is densely populated with 2 million people while the census showed it 650,000 only. The third resolution was from PPP's Riaz Sheerazi on slipping away of about 700 villages into the sea along with coastal belt of Kohistan, demanding of the government to step up efforts for their rehabilitation.
The country's first bill was introduced in the house, which is named after Amal Umer - a minor girl who injured from police gunfire and died after she was not provided medical treatment on time. The bill was sent to the assembly's select committee and expected to be passed in the assembly on next Monday. Once, it is sailed through will be called "The Sindh Injured Persons Compulsory Medical Treatment (Amal Umer) Act, 2019. Under the Amal Umer Act, every injured brought to any hospitals of the province will treated on a priority basis.
In line with this law, police will be barred from investigating and interfering while the patient is being treated. The investigation process could only start after the doctors declare the patient is stable. The injured cannot be taken away from hospital to any of the police stations while treatment is under way. The hospitals will not take any charges from the patients prior to providing treatment. As per the Act, every hospital will be bound to extend treatment to the injured.
Treatment to the injured will be ensured even the medico legal office is not present on the scene. Hospitals will also be required to ensure at least two of ambulances to its patients transporting services with all other latest equipments in place. Harassing the persons who bring the injured to hospitals for treatment will be a crime under the law. Violation of the law is a crime liable to maximum three years of imprisonment or minimum a Rs500, 000 of fine. The session court will hear the case of the law violation. The law has been propounded keeping in view a minor girl's death from a police gunfire, who failed to attain the medical treatment on time.
The assembly in sitting brought in the bill. Parents of Amal Umer witnessed the proceedings on the bill sitting in the visitors' galleries of the assembly. "The law is primarily aimed to help save injured people with ensuring a timely treatment at the hospitals," Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah told the house, announcing the government will bear all the expenses of treatment of the injured persons. He said that the government plans to withdraw all of the heavy guns from police and harness them with pistols. "Police will also be trained in this connection," he added.