Around four fumed and frustrated treasury members of the Upper House on Thursday staged walkout from the House against what they called “non-serious approach” of the government to debate the law and order in Balochistan, Karachi and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Later, the lawmakers’ frustration proved right as the House turned almost empty with only about a dozen members remained present during the debate – seven on the treasury and five on opposition benches. When the debate eventually began in Thursday’s Senate session, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and his deputy Imtiaz Safdar Warraich also left the House.
Deputy Speaker Sabir Baloch, who chaired the session, made an effort to prove his loyalty to his government rather than his province, Balochistan, as he adjourned the proceedings until Friday when only two members had spoken on the issue.
Harsh words were exchanged between treasury members and the deputy speaker when the latter tried to facilitate Minister of State Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, who requested to take up a calling attention notice on priority so that he could leave for some urgent piece of work. However, when the chair delayed the debate on law and order and decided to take up the calling attention notice, four treasury members announced to walk out. No treasury member went to persuade the angry members to return.
Speaking on a point of order, Interior Minister Rehman Malik asked the deputy chairman to hold an in-camera session so that he could share exclusive documents with parliamentarians for them to know the real enemy active in disturbing the law and order across country. “Please give me opportunity so that I can share with members of the House in an in-camera session exclusive documents that I cannot make public right now. It is their right to know who is involved in killing of Shia and other Muslims,” he added.
He also urged the House to pay homage to the martyrs of 1965 and 1971 wars on the eve of Defense Day. Later, Col (r) Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of the MQM moved a motion to start a debate on the law and order.
However, Kalsoom Perveen of the BNP-Awami protested and said the normal business of the House should have been suspended to debate the matter so that it could have been debated thoroughly. Kalsoom Perveen also staged a walkout from the House in protest later. She was joined by three other treasury members, including Wali Mohammad Badini and Abdul Nabi Bangash. Starting the debate on law and order, Mashhadi said the security apparatus had failed to counter ethnic cleansing of Shia Muslims and a specific community was being targeted under a planned move from Quetta to Gilgit-Baltistan. He alleged that state was failing to take action against criminals who had turned into a monster that was bred by General Ziaul Haq with the support of USA, Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries to wage jihad against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
