FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

No doubt the weeklong debate in both the Senate and the National Assembly on the budget was dominated by the opposition, but, quite paradoxically, at the end, the day was carried by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. After Minister of State for Finance Omar Ayub Khan had wound up the budget debate on Tuesday afternoon, Shaukat Aziz took the mike and defended the raison d'être of his budget with rare confidence and authority, as the opposition listened to him with rapt attention. Shaukat was at his best.
"We were almost bankrupt and were portrayed a failed state," but Pakistan is now out of those woods... We have only one agenda and that is Pakistan... The question is why did we let our economic sovereignty crumble...Our friends would say 'you keep coming with the begging bowl.
Why don't you help yourself'. "IMF has gone from here for ever, on one-way ticket, never to return. Why did the IMF leave now and not before, that is another question that the people should ask... We do take loans but then who doesn't. China, Malaysia...all others take loans; the difference is we do not eat them up. We use them for the good of the country.
A new law fixing fiscal responsibility has just been passed to fix limit beyond which the consent of the Parliament would be required. Our figures are correct, I challenge the doubting Toms...With 8.4 percent growth we are the fastest growing economy in South Asia and among the top five in whole of Asia."
The Prime Minister rejected the thesis that 9/11 boosted Pakistan's economy. "I wish economic progress would have been that simple. What we have today is the result of six long years of policy implementation. It's not a child's play." If you were not strong economically, your defence, governance, diplomacy...everything would be vulnerable to outside pressures.
As for the approval of defence allocation every penny is accounted for the Auditor General and Military Accountant General. In the region we live we face formidable challenges. Only strength and not weakness can achieve peace. We today have both nuclear and conventional capabilities to defend our freedom and independence.
Shaukat very ably replied various questions raised by the opposition members in the both the houses during the debate. He upheld the rationale of privatising the PTCL and explained why the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award could not be announced before the budget.
Towards the end of his speech, he offered olive branch to the opposition: "I invite the opposition to join hands in taking forward our Pakistan. If Pakistan progresses the Islamic World would progress."
That Shaukat Aziz would turn the tables on the opposition was unthinkable just a few hours earlier. There were some very scathing attacks, particularly by Mehmud Khan Achakazi and Tehmina Daultana, as treasury members would just sit wearing forlorn looks. Achakazi invited all the opposition groups and parties to unite against the military rule. Daultana sharply criticised the armed forces for what she alleged their non-military pursuits.
Having sent its recommendations to the National Assembly on the budget the Senate on Tuesday resumed its normal business. Acting Chairman Khalid Ranjha opened the proceedings with members' points of order, with the government decision to put Mukhtaran Mai's name on the ECL on the top.
When a woman member, who had met the unfortunate victim during the day stood up to seek official attention, her colleague sitting nearby literally stopped her. "Let this Mukhtaran Mai go to hell," intoned Parigul Agha. But that was not acceptable to S.M. Zafar, who thought the Prime minister should remove her name from the ECL. But Minister of State for Interior Shahzad Waseem opposed this suggestion.
Other interesting points of order included call by Ilyas Bilour that enterprises that are making losses should be privatised first. Sarwar Khan Kakar asked why the budget is silent on the recommendations made by the two sub-committees on Balochistan? Farhatullah Babar wanted that nuclear scientist Dr Farooq who has completed his detention time be released.
Professor Khursheed Ahmad was for immediate release of Balochistan parliamentary committee report as that province "sits on a volcano". Anwar Baig said over 500 people committed suicide in the last three months due to economic hardships.
For both the government and the opposition, the budget session is always very crucial. It entails lengthiest debate with licence to speak on any issue. No other session affords such generous opportunity to the members to express themselves on issues of their liking or specialisation.
With that debate already over in the Senate and almost nearing end in the National Assembly, it would merit comment as to who made the mark and who missed out on that opportunity. That being the idea one having seen most of the debate can say without fear of contradiction that the women members' contribution to the debate was almost insignificant. Mind you, in the House of 342, there are no less than 72 women. As to what was their men colleagues' contribution we would talk about it in the next column.