FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

The session of National Assembly that was primarily called to discuss and devise a strategy to deal with the floods situation wasted most of its time for the second consecutive day in political point scoring. The only accomplishment, if you may please, by the House was adoption of what many believe two worthless resolutions, one resolution by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in support of democracy while other by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) against corruption and feudalism.
A number of resolutions have been adopted by this Parliament during the last three years, from condemning drone attacks to killings of minorities in Gojra and to even against the events taking place abroad, but the result was nothing. So it would have been better for both the parties as well as for the government, as all of them are in power, in centre and provinces, to focus on welfare of the people because this is the only way to save democracy and present system from the anger of the poor and any threat.
Someone needs to tell them that sending signals through such resolutions would not work. The priority of political parties should have been from the opening day to set aside everything else for devising a unanimous strategy with respect to reconstruction and rehabilitation of the marooned people to send a positive message to the nation and world community.
On the contrary, this was not the priority and when House resumed sitting on Friday and speaker gave floor to the opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who as expected strongly reprimanded Muttahida MQM Chief Altaf Hussain statements against democracy. While reiterating his party's resolve not to support any unconstitutional change, Nisar said that his party would not offer or seek shoulder of any general to destabilize the government.
We would have thought that he would also criticise the government for alleged corruption, bad governance, the real problems of this country, but his focus was on army and MQM. Nisar also disproved statements being issued by the ISPR and funds collection by various organisations without the prior approval of government and warned that if the government did not channelise all of them into one fund, the Public Accounts Committee would take notice of it in its meeting on September 23.
Responding to the opposition leader's speech, MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar recounted the past of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leadership. This was extremely disappointed that both the PML-N and MQM tried to prove each other supporter and abettors of dictators in the presence of Prime Minister, whose party was a silent spectator to this verbal confrontation between two of its coalition partners in the provinces, Punjab and Sindh.
This was enough for Pakistan Muslim League-Q whose members lost patience to this ongoing confrontation and staged a walkout protesting against the attitude of the House. This is an insult to the people, nation and over 20 million people for whom this session was convened and yet no one has spoken for them from the last two days, said Makhdoon Faisal Saleh Hayat of PML-Q before leading a walk out of his party. Faisal said that what has been happening in the National Assembly was nothing but making a mockery of over twenty million who have been hoping from their elected members to do something for alleviation of their sufferings.
The victims of natural disaster are also being insulted by the irresponsible attitude of this house. The Prime Minister who was present in the House made no effort to convince the Parliamentarians for discussion on the flood situation. As the House took up the motion in the last half and hour to initiate discussion on situation arising out of floods, opposition member one after another criticised the government for ignoring the flood victims in their constituencies and disbursing aid only through their party workers.
The discussion was marked with a total distrust on government agencies for which none of the opposition members, despite repeated requests by the Speaker National Assembly, was willing to donate money in the relief fund of Prime Minister. The poor credibility may well have been one of the reasons for reluctance of people as well as international donors to generously donate for the flood victims.
The need is that the government should think about improving its credibility and also listen to the calls of the opposition and treasury members for judicial probe into the alleged breaches in embankments in Sindh and Punjab by influentials to divert the floodwater for saving their lands and crops.