After the Thursday debacle in the National Assembly, the government on Friday faced a near defeat in the Senate too when it could not even touch upon legislative business due to lack of majority. Federal Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Dr Sher Afgan Niazi made several attempts to move four bills present on the agenda, but smelling a possible defeat Chairman Muhammadmian Soomro preferred not to allow him.
Rather, Soomro kept opposition members engaged by letting them raising their concerns over matters of national importance to avert the defeat for the government only three days ahead of the budget, being presented in the National Assembly on Monday next.
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Raza Rabbani challenged to block the legislation when Sher Afgan made the first attempt to move the bill immediately after question hour was over.
"I challenge him (Afgan) to go for legislation. Let the government face another defeat," Raza shouted as soon as Afgan stood up to put one of the bills before the house for passage. Accepting the challenge, the minister decided to go ahead with his plan, but the Chairman briskly changed the gears and preferred to let members speak rather than allowing Sher Afgan to proceed, as he smelled defeat for the government.
On Thursday, the government failed to take a bill through the National Assembly when the opposition defeated it on the basis of numerical strength it had at that time in the house.
On quite a number of occasions in the recent past, Shaukat Aziz-led administration has suffered parliamentary defeats. But the Thursday debacle in the opening sitting of budget session in the Lower House and its almost reflection in the Upper House a day after is being perceived as one of last nails in the present system coffin.
Sher Afgan, however, didn't put his weapons down and continued to gather required number of treasury members, but the chair called it a day prematurely when the minister's efforts couldn't bear any fruit for almost an hour and half.
POINTS OF ORDER: The opposition denounced the budget being presented for third consecutive occasion without any decision on the sixth National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
They also questioned the constitutional status of President Musharraf deciding the matter. "How come the President is authorised for a decision on the NFC when a constitutional body is in place," Senator Sanaullah Baloch argued. "Is it not the violation of the Constitution that the third budget is being presented without new NFC award? Who is Musharraf to decide the matter?" was the question Awami National Party (ANP) Asfandar Yar Wali Khan asked.
Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians' (PPPP) Farhatullah Babar drew the attention of the house to a photograph that appeared in the national daily on Friday highlighting brutalities of the Rangers men with the activists of a political party in Karachi.
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