FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

The petroleum products pricing policy has become increasingly indefensible for the government, as was evident on Thursday on the floor of the National Assembly. As opposition's Chaudhry Nisar Ali lambasted the 'fraud' in fixing the prices of petroleum products and demanded a fuller debate on the issue a hefty pat on his back came from no other but the members of the Shaukat Aziz cabinet.
While federal ministers Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Wasi Zafar supported Nisar Ali and Riaz Pirzada termed the price structure patently inimical to the farming community the ex-oil minister Chaudhry Nauraiz Shakoor disclosed the subsidy was given only in case of diesel.
Now that the lawmakers from both the sides have agreed to meet more than three days a week and for relatively longer hours the National Assembly working has acquired some kind of semblance of a living entity. For example, not only the question hour was quite lively, and there was a walkout also as the PM's Adviser Nilofar Bakhtiar failed to satisfy the women members belonging to the MMA in replying a listed question, the chair too exhibited some freedom of action by offering a slot of 15 minutes during the prime time for raising the points of order.
Till Wednesday he had insisted on confining the points of order to zero hour at the end of the day's proceedings. But that was an unpopular move and the opposition members succeeded in getting that reversed.
How Nisar Ali got the opportunity to raise the issue of petroleum products prices is both interesting and instructive.
Seeing that Defence Minister Rao Sikander Iqbal was present in the House, Speaker Amir Hussain invited the government to defend its position against a calling attention notice by the PPPP members about delay in inspection of landing guidance and navigation system at the civil and military airports.
Rao had instructed his Minister of State Zahid Hamid to respond, but the latter was not there, causing a little embarrassment to Rao. That put Nisar Ali on his feet and, thus, came to the forefront the issue of petroleum prices. "Whatever is to the benefit of the government is promptly discussed in the House, but the petroleum products prices that so deeply affect the people is being put off," he complained.
Minister of State for Petroleum Naseer Mengal while opposing the discussion said that the matter is before the Supreme Court. Amir Hussain contested that the argument observing it would be for him to decide to allow discussion or not on a matter pending before the apex court.
Nauraiz Shakoor was then given the floor. He said when the prices of oil increased in the international market the Government of Pakistan subsidised the prices by about Rs 50-60 billion. Now the expenditure is being 'adjusted', he said, adding that the companies who are being blamed for getting the traditional pound of flesh get fixed commission and are not concerned with the rise and fall of oil prices in the international market.
But the chair again insisted, saying it is the general perception that the prices are not reduced in consonance with low oil prices in the international market, therefore, "it would be good for the government to remove the misunderstanding." The law minister, who was of the view that the Supreme Court does not forbid discussion in the House, supported him.
That greatly encouraged Chaudhry Nisar Ali: "I say most categorically that not a paisa worth of subsidy has been given by the government, as we bought oil at the international prices."
As the momentum for a fuller debate on petroleum products prices increased more opposition members were given the floor to express their points of view. Farid Paracha said it is the people who finance the so-called subsidy in the form of cuffing out the PDL (Petroleum development levy). Raja Pervaiz Ashraf reminded the chair that the government had agreed to a comprehensive debate in the advisory committee meeting.
But really stunned the House was forceful assertion of Riaz Pirzada who said the government has not been clear in the matter of fixing petroleum products policy and what we have has seriously harmed the agricultural sector, particularly in Bairiki area. By then Petroleum Minister Amanullah Jadoon had arrived. He took the position that oil prices are going up, but he was ready for debate. Even then no date and time was fixed for that debate.
Earlier, there were three walkouts. But each time the opposition members promptly returned to the House indicating the members growing interest in the functioning of the National Assembly.