FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

Proceedings in the Senate on Tuesday were a tame affair. Of course, it started half an hour behind schedule but that matters a little now that keeping time is not a strong point of our recent parliamentary history.
The House then took up the question hour, and in a rare display of functionality exhausted all the listed questions, and that surprisingly before the full hour had lapsed. A highlight of the question hour was the claim by Raza Muhammad Raza that Urdu is not our national language. Then there was a sort of mini-debate on whether to import duty-free pharmaceutical products from India.
Raza Muhammad Raza again struck a discordant note by proposing that duty on import of medicines from India be abolished "as it is a humanitarian necessity", but both the Minister of State for Finance Omar Ayub and opposition leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar opposed Raza's suggestion.
That convergence, however, disappeared as Dar underlined the need that the government should conduct a comprehensive study to see if the prices of medicines in Pakistan could be brought down. In Pakistan over the last 20-30 years the multinationals have had kept raising the prices, while that is not the case in India, he said, adding that the government should force reduction in the prices. Omar Ayub was not prepared to yes or no to the question but he did ask Dar why the previous governments did not take such a line.
Even before the questions were taken up the government side was keen on to passing the Contempt of Court Bill, 2005 which was the only legislative item on the order of the day. So, as soon as the question hour was over Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro invited the Minister of State for Law Shahid Bhinder to move the bill. Professor Ghafoor Ahmad had tabled a few amendments to the bill and the opposition wanted those to be discussed, one of which suggested shorter period for verdict in cases under this law.
Justice delayed is justice denied, he contended to be countered by Wasim Sajjad that "justice rushed is justice crushed". Professor Ghafoor also contended that the judges of superior courts were forced to take oath under the PCO and quite often merit was ignored. To this Professor Ibrahim added that the government is guilty of committing the contempt of court. He said strangely enough while President Musharraf forced the judges to take oath under the PCO he himself was sworn under the Constitution in November 2002.
Rejecting the opposition's perspective Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan the oath given to these judges under the PCO stated validated with the passage of the 17th Amendment, a legislative product fully participated by Professor Ghafoor's party. Before the opposition could react to Sher Afgan's straight talking Khalid Ranjha stood up to assert that the law under consideration is necessary for the judiciary to function in Pakistan like anywhere in the world. It creates balance between the Bar and the Bench.
But Raza Rabbani did not buy Ranjha's argument, observing the said law is ambiguous and when implemented would heighten tensions between the Bar and the judiciary. What to do if the State commits contempt of court, he said, is the basic question. He also took the issue with oath under the PCO, saying these oaths were not allegiance to the Constitution but to an individual. That said on both the sides, the chair put the bill to vote and it was passed.
Given the relaxed atmosphere the chair invited some points of order before opening the floor for debate on the situation arising out of the October 8 earthquake. Points of order are not supposed to be responded by the ministers but Sher Afgan did by telling Professor Ghafoor that reports that new military operation has been launched in Bugti area are incorrect.
Raza Rabbani expressed his reservations about the government move to give the audit responsibility of earthquake funds to "third party". "Already, we have mortgaged our economy to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Now, it is being said that we will not give our account to the Parliament...I take strong exception to it."
Abdullah Riar was the first to get the floor for speech on the earthquake situation, followed by Gulshan Saeed. Riar was as biting as he was while moving against Textile Minister Mushtaq Cheema on the tent procurement issue a few days back.
BUT GULSHAN WAS SINCERE TO HER CAUSE: She stoutly defended the government against the myriad criticism. "I salute Pakistan Army led by General Pervez Musharraf." Naseer Mengal was the third speaker but it was Farhatullah Babar that generated some heat. Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi countered his argument that the military should divert some of its budgetary allocations to rehabilitation and reconstruction, saying army had already contributed substantially in various forms.
The debate on the earthquake situation is expected to continue till next Monday, but it is losing its focus as developments outside the House are getting more attention. For instance, what had buffeted the corridors on Tuesday was the future of the Upper House in the light of the fact that half of its members should retire next month.
The elections to fill their vacancies have the potential to throw up an anti-government Senate. That worry is believed to have motivated Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to write to the president to issue an ordinance that the seats vacated next month by the Fata members be filled by the entire House of the National Assembly.