A cordial environment was witnessed in the Sindh Assembly session on Wednesday and there was no discord between the treasury and opposition benches during the proceedings.

Starting more than one hour late, the session completed the entire day’s business smoothly in less than two hours.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and its allied parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and National Peoples Party (NPP), who boycotted the election of the chief minister and oath taking of the speaker and deputy speaker in protest over the manhandling of Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, congratulated Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Speaker Nisar Khuhro and Deputy-Speaker Shehla Raza.

The parties extended cooperation to the treasury benches.

The chief minister also conveyed to the opposition that there would be no ‘political victimisation’ on the part of his government as was faced by the PPP in the past.

“There could be mistakes and I assure that we will correct those mistakes if pointed out by the opposition,” Qaim Ali Shah said and added

that people needed the assembly and the government needed the cooperation of the legislators to resolve

major problems such as poverty, price-hike, etc.

Syed Sardar Ahmed, Shoaib Bukhari, Adil Siddiqui, Faisal Sabzwari and Bilqees Mukhtar of the MQM,

Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the NPP and Jam Madad Ali of the PML (F) rose, one by one, from their seats after the

ecitation of a Naat and offered their heartiest felicitation to the chief minister, speaker and deputy-speaker and assured the PPP-led government of their full cooperation in carrying out the business of the house for the sake of the welfare and well being of the people of Sindh.

“It is a good beginning. We will welcome any positive suggestions vis-a-vis the prosperity of Sindh from the opposition,” the chief minister said while expressing his personal gratitude to the members of the MQM, NPP and PML (F).

“My government does not believe in politics of vendetta and vengeance which we faced in the past,” Shah said and hoped that that the opposition would point out the problems or bottlenecks which needed to be rectified or removed in the best interest of the province and the country at large.

He said that the province was facing economic hardship, unemployment and a price-hike and hoped that the government would come up to the expectations of the people who have elected them to the assembly.

Jam Madad Ali of the PML-F said that cases had been registered against workers of his party.

In reply, the chief minister said that his government would look into the matter and assured that the cases would be looked into on a case-to-case basis.

Pir Mazhar also welcomed the gesture of the MQM and other opposition members and hoped that their cooperation would continue.

Later, the MQM’s Shoaib Bukhari, Adil Siddiqi and Anwar Alam asked the speaker to give them permission to leave so that they could attend the Soyem of the father of Dr Farooq Sattar, to which the speaker replied in the affirmative.

The MQM leaders also approached the seats of the ministers to shake hands with them.

The galleries were full to the brim with PPP workers, who raised slogans of “Jeay Bhutto” despite a warning by the speaker.

Both the treasury and opposition members were amazed over the unhindered completion of the agenda. The MQM’s Faisal Sabzwari said that it all happened due to the positive role played by the opposition.