Sindh Assembly rejects demand for independent commission to probe HIV outbreak

• Muttahida MPA’s resolution turned down by treasury benches • Sharjeel slams federal ministers for launching campaign against 18th Amendment • Calls upon Centre to end ‘discrimination’ in gas and electricity supply to Sindh KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Monday rejected with majority votes an opposition resolution seeking constitution of an independent commission to probe the HIV/AIDS outbreak in the province. Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan lawmaker Muhammad Aamir Siddiqui tabled a resolution in the house and expressed serious concern over the HIV outbreak in a Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI)-run hospitals. According to his resolution: “This House expresses serious concern over the HIV-related issue reported at Valika Hospital and its possible impact on public health. This House recommends that the Government of Sindh constitute an independent commission to investigate the matter and determine whether HIV has spread beyond the reported cases and the extent of the issue across the province. “The House further recommends that, until the completion of the inquiry, the concerned officers responsible for the matter be removed from their posts.” Labour Minister Saeed Ghani opposed the resolution, saying work on the issue was already underway and an endowment fund had been established. He urged the mover to withdraw his resolution. However, Mr Siddiqui preferred his resolution to be placed for a vote in the house, which rejected it with the majority votes of treasury members. It may be noted that a couple of weeks ago the Sindh government had confirmed that over 100 children had been infected with HIV at Valika Hospital. It had set up a Rs2bn endowment fund for treatment and rehabilitation of affected children and their families. Members’ absence irked speaker The proceedings were hampered due to the absence of members, as neither the movers of five resolutions nor the lawmakers who had submitted questions were present in the house. The session, chaired by Speaker Syed Owais Qadir Shah, could not take up most of the items on the agenda. With no mover present, all five resolutions scheduled for submission lapsed. During Question Hour relating to the public health engineering department, no member was present to ask supplementary questions, following which the chair concluded it. Expressing displeasure over the poor attendance, the speaker said that it had become a practice for members to submit questions and resolutions but remain absent when the business was taken up. “The minister has come prepared, but members are absent,” he remarked. The speaker directed that members ensure their presence and stressed that seriousness was required for the effective functioning of the house. The listed questions were submitted by the MQM-P members Muhammad Daniyal and Syed Muhammad Usman, who were not present in the house during Question Hour. In reply to a private motion by MQM-P MPA Quratulain seeking installation of street lights on all highways, Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that all national highways fell under the jurisdiction of the federal government. He asked the member to raise the matter with her party’s representatives in the National Assembly. Sharjeel slams federal ministers, defends 18th Amendment Mr Memon then launched a detailed defence of the 18th Amendment, criticising recent statements by federal ministers including Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif and Mustafa Kamal. “Provinces have become autonomous after the 18th Amendment,” he said. He accused the federal ministers of launching a regrettable campaign against to raise the matter with her party’s representatives in the National Assembly. Sharjeel slams federal ministers, defends 18th Amendment Mr Memon then launched a detailed defence of the 18th Amendment, criticising recent statements by federal ministers including Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif and Mustafa Kamal. “Provinces have become autonomous after the 18th Amendment,” he said. He accused the federal ministers of launching a regrettable campaign against the 18th Amendment and demanded that the federation end what he termed discrimination in gas and electricity supply to the province. The senior minister said that provinces had made significant gains in health, education and energy since the passage of the 18th Amendment, and critics in Islamabad should first review those results instead of questioning provincial autonomy. “If Mustafa Kamal, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif or any other federal minister has any objection to the 18th Amendment or the powers of the provinces, then they should come and speak in parliament,” he said, adding: “We have representatives in this assembly who are capable of answering every question constitutionally, legally and with statistics.” Citing the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases as examples, the senior minister said that both institutions had transformed after devolution. “NICVD is considered one of the best medical institutions in Pakistan. Thousands of people from across the country come there for free treatment. This is the result of this system and the powers given to the provinces,” he said. Mr Memon said that more than 3,500 megawatts of electricity was being generated from Thar coal and fed into the national grid. “This electricity is not only for Sindh or any one city, but for the whole of Pakistan,” he said. He further said universities and modern medical facilities had been established in cities like Sukkur, and that the provincial health department was now “standing on its own feet”. The minister said that the residents were bearing the brunt of loadshedding despite the province’s contribution to the national grid. Criticising power utilities for punishing people, he said: “If 20 people have not paid [their bills], take action against those 20. Where is the justice in punishing an entire village?” Mr Memon said collective punishment violated basic constitutional principles. “An entire region cannot be punished because a few people have not paid their bills,” he said. The senior minister also raised the issue of natural gas, saying Sindh had been producing large quantities for years but did not receive its due share. He further questioned the disparity in infrastructure development, noting that Punjab’s motorway network had been built with federal funds. He said that when motorways were built in Punjab, the credit was given to provincial government, although they were federal projects. “Sindh is also a part of this federation, so why is there discrimination against Sindh,” he asked. The senior minister said that to date, a complete motorway network was not built across Sindh comparable to the one in Punjab. Later, the house was adjourned to Tuesday (today). Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2026