- Charter on economy a pipedream?
After a free-for-all during the budget debate in the National Assembly, a semblance of sanity has finally prevailed. A hiatus of three days during which there was complete chaos finally ended, allowing Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif to make his maiden speech uninterrupted by catcalls from the Treasury benches.
The feat looked impossible in the backdrop of the pandemonium that started during the budget speech by Revenue Minister of State Hammad Azhar a few days ago. After a very acrimonious session on Tuesday, surprisingly peace was brokered later in the evening. The Speaker, who was dragging his feet on production orders of the four incarcerated MNAs, suddenly relented.
Apparently, the deal was to issue production orders minus two. There was no mention of PTM’s (Pashtun Tahafuz Movement) members Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir. It was quite obvious that the reluctance to produce Asif Zardari and Khawaja Saad Rafiq emanated from the resolve not to produce the other two.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who was at the forefront for release of the arrested Pashtuns to attend the National Assembly budget session, suddenly went mum on the issue. So far as the Leader of the Opposition is concerned, the production orders of PTM members were never PML-N’s priority.
Those who should have a vested interest in getting the budget passed were playing the role of the ultimate spoilers in Parliament
The other part of the deal was to let and let live by both sides, allowing each other to speak. Hitherto an angry Khan had been adamant not to let the Opposition take the floor. In a late night botched-up address to the nation on Budget Day he did not hide his disdain for the opposition.
The same theme was repeated in the PTI’s (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) parliamentary meeting that the ‘corrupt and criminal’ MNAs of the ruling party would not be allowed to speak. Nor their incarcerated peers have a right to attend the Assembly session.
The question that begs an answer is who brought the squabbling ruling party and the opposition back from the brink on the same page till the next altercation? Perhaps both sides were softly nudged to agree to disagree by those who call the shots in the Islamic Republic.
Sometimes it feels that our public representatives (more so in the ruling party) have a suicide wish. Those who should have a vested interest in getting the budget passed were playing the role of the ultimate spoilers in Parliament.
Unsurprisingly the Opposition, with backs to the wall, feels that they have nothing to lose. The manner in which the Budget Speech was disrupted was regrettable.
Perhaps the PML-N can argue that the PTI did the same when its Finance Minister, Miftah Ismail, was presenting the last budget. But two wrongs do not make one right, even in politics.
In fact, in the past few months the level of political discourse has come down to the level of the lowest common denominator, resembling a fish market rather than a Parliament befitting a democracy. For example, how does it serve the opposition’s cause to address the Prime Minister as Imran Khan Niazi just to humiliate him?
Sharif and others in the Opposition insist upon calling the Prime Minister a ‘selected Prime Minister.’ Either they should have the gall to say after all who selected him if not the Parliament. If not, they should avoid a narrative that unnecessarily vitiates the atmosphere.
The ruling party, starting from the top, calling the opposition lawmakers such names as a bunch of thieves and crooks also serves no purpose. Notwithstanding NAB ‘s (National Accountability Bureau) skewed ethos that everyone on its radar is a crook, the law states otherwise.
Unless convicted, a suspect is considered innocent in the eyes of the law prevalent in the country with the exception of NAB. Hence to parrot that the entire opposition lot are criminals and have no right to sit in the parliament is not only unethical but legally untenable as well.
Science and Technology Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, known for landing himself into controversies has finally spoken the truth. He visibly irked the NAB chairman by claiming that it is the PTI government that has initiated the present accountability putsch rather than the accountability watchdog.
When it seemed that things were settling down, the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani had to ask the Sergeant-at-arms to intervene to prevent a scuffle between the Opposition and PTI senators. It all started when JUI(F) (Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazl group) senator Atta-ur-Rahman slammed Khan for his alleged remarks against Sahaba (RA) in a recent speech.
PTI Senator Nauman Wazir rushed towards the Maulana in a fit of rage and in the process pushed aside former Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, who was only trying to avert a clash.
Notwithstanding the highly repugnant attitude of the Maulana fanning religious feelings to malign a political opponent, the ruling party’s senator’s move was equally reprehensible. The Upper House, that is expected to represent the crème de le crème of politicos, is no better if not actually worse than the standards set by the lower House members.
Participating in the budget debate, speeches of both Leader of the Opposition and that of the PPP Co-Chairperson were surprisingly muted. Both offered the government their cooperation on economic issues, the latter going so far as to offer talks on a permanent charter on the economy. But with Khan adamant on bringing hare-brained mechanisations to castigate the opposition, this will remain a pipedream.
However, the younger Zardari was quick to point out that he might not go along with his father’s policy of forgive-and-forget forever. Nawaz Sharif, on the other hand, whose bail on medical grounds was rejected the same day, is also pursuing a rather hawkish line as compared to his younger brother.
Newly minted party vice-president, Sharif’s daughter and political heir apparent, Maryam Nawaz, amplifies her father’s sentiments. She has struck a good working relationship with Bilawal. Both are virulently critical of the government.
But unlike her hawkish and highly critical narrative pre general elections against the military leadership, Maryam and her father are careful not to ruffle feathers at the GHQ. Nevertheless, her public and workers’ meeting programme is on the anvil.
In this backdrop Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman’s summoned All-Parties Conference is unlikely to come up with a workable plan to remove the government through street power. It seems that the opposition understands that with too many chinks in its armour it is in no position to upset the applecart even if it wants to do so.
So far as the move to remove the Senate Chairman is concerned, it has failed to gain traction. Zardari, who played a pivotal role to install the Chairman earlier in the year, has passed the buck to his son to decide on the move.
The opposition has the numbers. But perhaps instead of going for a no-confidence move against the Senate Chairman, for the time being it is likely to use the threat merely as a bargaining chip.
