FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

New battle lines are being drawn in Karachi. An infrequent visitor of the National Assembly Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain came to the House on Thursday quite early in the morning and took a seat between Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Qazi Hussain Ahmad.
The huddle continued for almost an hour: Its upshot was as unexpected as uncertain is the political future of the province of Sindh.
Not yet through with his fight with Prime Minister Jamali the PML president offered the two leaders to join him in setting up a "government of national consensus" in Sindh.
He made no statement on the floor of the National Assembly - in line with the practice that all important moves are made behind the scene and the elected representatives learn of them from the media. However, he spelt out some broad features of his offer to the reporters.
Both Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Qazi Hussain Ahmad accepted his offer, however, with certain reservations. Makhdoom, he said, wanted his party to be given the chief ministership in the new set up for it has the majority in the Sindh Assembly. But Chaudhry did not agree to that perception because "in the proposed government of national consensus there should be difference between a majority party and a minority party".
Cognisant that air in the Capital is heavy with speculation of a change in the Centre he clarified that the proposed arrangement would be confined to the province of Sindh.
Amin Fahim also spoke to the press. His case was that since his party is the largest in the Sindh Assembly it should get the chief ministership. Earlier, speaking on adjournment motions regarding killing of Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai and many others in acts of terrorism in Karachi Amin Fahim blamed the collapse of law and order because minority was given power. "I was told that my son could become the chief minister, but I said I won't let my son become 'Lota'...There should be no shame in handing over power to the majority."
As the debate on three identical adjournment motions on Karachi situation got underway, it became clear that MQM is on the line, along with President Pervez Musharraf and the 'agencies'.
The speakers being mostly from the MMA, known for their oratorical power, gave no quarters to their targeted subjects. How can a commander-in-chief that is running for his own life can defend the country, asked Hafiz Hussain Ahmad. Joining the debate Amin Fahim said Karachi is burning, but the government is unmoved.
Institutions have been destroyed just to lend longevity to one-man rule, so much so that even the apex court looks up at the "top chair" before giving verdict.
Liaquat Baloch saw US-India-Israel conspiracy behind the growing incidence of terrorism in Karachi, where an ethnic party's fortune brightened. "When the people indicated its rejection the state apparatus came into action to put it into power," he said.
He demanded removal of the 'controversial' governor as well as the Sindh government "but I don't say that assembly should be dissolved".
There arose also an occasion for sparring. MQM's Kanwar Khalid Younus, on a point of personal explanation, said Qazi Hussein Ahmad's name too had appeared in an FIR for murder following protest when Vajpayee visited Lahore.
Qazi Sahib had a reply: He said yes he was named in an FIR and he was also detained, but he appeared before an anti-terrorist court and cleared his position. Abdul Sattar Afghani made most scathing attack against the MQM. "It is a terrorist organisation. We demand it should be banned".
Chaudhry's proposal soon proved to be a stillborn idea. Benazir Bhutto rejected it as soon as she heard it. Even otherwise it may be a very pious hope but it has no practical value. Can Jamali government survive in the Centre after ditching the MQM in Sindh? Also, how can the Chaudhry's PML be spared of blame of incompetence in Sindh when it is being run by its chief minister.
With Deputy Speaker Sardar Yaqub in the chair the question-hour was a lively affair. As usual, in case of many questions the answer was "reply not received". Irritated over it the MMA members staged a walkout, protesting the government uses the ploy of "reply not received" to hide information from the opposition. One would not know what information was being blocked, but the reply to another question was quite revealing.
Like this scribe who traverses the Blue Area and Constitution Avenue quite regularly the ongoing so-called beautification of the Capital undertaken by the new CDA chairman presents an interesting picture. Take the Blue Area. Every third week the meridian of the main road called Jinnah Avenue is thoroughly ploughed and given exotic landscaping.
The date-palm trees planted late last year at a cost of Rs 2.7 million have dried, but the CDA said these would blossom in June. Let us wait. The 'facial' of the Blue Area, however, stops at that and the alleys and squares on the service roads of the Blue Area present a pathetic picture with heavy stink hanging around all over the place.
Chaudhry Anwer Ali Cheema had asked the total amount spent during the last six months for beautification, construction and maintenance in Islamabad, including the preparation for the Saarc Conference and how many times the grass had been planted on the Constitution Avenue.
Reply: Rs 571 million were spent on beautification, maintenance and construction and the grass was planted only one time costing Rs 0.306 million.