It has not been a smooth sail for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government. But Asif Ali Zardari, as an elected president, created history on Saturday by addressing the joint sitting of the parliament for the fifth time despite being welcomed with the loud slogans of a hostile opposition led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
The mood in the House reflected the opposition’s strategy to take on the president in the election year. Unlike in the past, the opposition gave the president a tough time and his voice choked towards the end of his address, as he mispronounced several words besides wrongly naming the political parties. The opposition’s pressure on him was clearly visible but he managed to complete his address with the support of treasury members who kept thumping their benches.
At one occasion, the sergeant-at-arms moved towards the president, noticing that he was not feeling comfortable. However the ADC, who stood fully alert behind the president, stopped him. The president drank water three times and continued reading his written speech.
Things started with Zardari’s chair falling backwards, as he stood up to walk towards the rostrum and address the parliament. Soon after the national anthem finished playing, PML-N backbenchers, led by their firebrand colleague Abid Sher Ali, unleashed a flurry of loud slogans like “loot maar band kero”, “Zardari teray zabtay hum nahi mantay”, “Zardari ka jo yar hay, ghadaar hay ghadaar hay”, “qaum ka paisa wapis kero”.
The chiefs of the three armed forces and the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) were also present. Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, however, conspicuously observed the protesting opposition members, and occasionally exchanged views with JCSC Chairman General Khalid Shamim, who was sitting on his right side. Standing silently in protest, opposition members occupying front benches were led by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. In the very beginning, Tehmina Daultana walked towards the rostrum with a placard in her hands, but was swiftly intercepted by Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan, who snatched the placard, tore it into pieces, and returned to her seat with a victorious pride. PML-N Chief Whip Sheikh Aftab also moved in and guided Daultana back to her seat. The PML-N, supported by the JUI-F and other opposition parties for the first time in the present parliament, acted like a real opposition, as noisy scenes were witnessed in the legislature after a long time. However, the PML-likeminded betrayed the PML-N in its walkout of the House proceedings. Since Kashmala Tariq was missing from the House, the likeminded group’s lone MNA Humayon Saifullah Khan did not join the opposition’s walkout. The walked out started when the president was almost halfway through his 13-page speech. Nasir Ali Shah, A PPP legislator from Quetta, also walked out for not being allowed to question the president about the delay in arresting Benazir Bhutto’s killers.
On the other hand, following Friday’s protest against extortions in Karachi, the MQM members remained calm and cool during the presidential address.