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Combined opposition on Tuesday declined to attend a briefing-cum Iftar dinner at the Prime Minister secretariat on relief operations, saying the parliament should have been the right forum for such initiative.
Appreciating the invitation, they contended it was not the time for hosting Iftar dinner, instead maximum funds must be channelised for the desperately needed relief of the tragedy-stricken people.
"We don't want to trigger controversies, what we want is that through a resolution, the house regular sitting be converted into a meeting of the committee and all officials and experts be invited to give briefing," Mahmood Khan Achakzai proposed on behalf of the opposition.
The opposition also wanted a mechanism, after taking the parliament into confidence, be in place to monitor use of funds being collected and foreign aid received.
One opposition lawmaker proposed a joint sitting of the parliament be summoned to discuss a comprehensive strategy to cope with the situation arising out of the tremor.
Responding to opposition's proposal, Pakistan Muslim League president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said there was nothing wrong in being part of the briefing on the post-earthquake relief operations at the Prime Minister secretariat.
However, he was quick to add the government could arrange such briefing some other day, but not in the parliament. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz extended the invitation to the opposition Tuesday morning.
Some ministers and opposition members traded allegations and an opposition leader asked the government to handle the post-quake matters carefully, otherwise, a serious backlash could erupt.
He said state-controlled media were showing the President, Prime Minister and ministers visiting hospitals, while foreign channels focussed on difficulties and challenges in the way of relief operations.
Some opposition lawmakers accused law minister Wasi Zafar and parliamentary affairs minister Dr Sher Afgan Niazi of trying to spoil the house environment.
Earlier, these ministers alleged the opposition was trying to do politics on 'dead bodies'.
Earlier, the ruling coalition's chief whip Nasrullah Dreshak went to the opposition for their reaction to the invitation, but the opposition decided not to reject the invitation and wanted briefing in the house instead.
Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians chief whip Khurshid Shah alleged the government had made the assembly meaningless by holding two sittings in a week, simply to fulfil constitutional requirement of 130 sittings.
"I have been wining elections since 1998, but never I saw the assembly being run like this: meeting for two days and the rest holidays. I don't understand where we are taking this house," he expressed his anguish.
"Why has the briefing been arranged in the Prime Minister secretariat, why not here, doesn't it mean, rulers don't have faith in the parliament and don't' want to give it due importance."
The holding of the sitting in the afternoon took all and sundry by surprise and proceedings could resume with half an hour delay and the house adjourned after barely 90 minutes so that members could attend the briefing.
Deputy speaker Sardar M. Yaqub announced resignations of five members had been accepted. They are: Salim Jan Mazari of PML (NA-210), Mumtaz Matiana of PPPP (NA-89), Sahibzada Jalil Ahmed of PML (NA-132) and Abdul Qayyum Jatoi of PML (NA-180). These have assumed the charge as nazims in their respective districts.
Wasi and Niazi contended there was nothing wrong in attending the briefing, as it was aimed at discussing the great national tragedy.
They maintained the government never objected to the opposition's bills and motions, as it was primarily their responsibility to contribute toward the house business.
Ministers claimed the government did record legislation, but the opposition always preferred to stay away when some important piece of legislation was introduced.
Niazi was of the view the opposition should have overlooked the issue of the house meeting for 130 days, as the government wanted to abide by the rules thereon.
Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed also insisted for daily sittings and said if the government had no important business to table, scores of opposition's bills and motions could be entertained on key national issues.
Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Nawaz) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said from day one after the quake tragedy, the opposition extended full co-operation to the government and also postponed the October 12 black day programme.
He said the opposition's reservations regarding legitimacy of the government and democracy remained very much there, but for the time being, in greater national interests, they had offered to side with the government.
The PML leader said relief operations were not in control of the government and there was chaos on roads, leading to northern parts of the country and Azad Kashmir.
He cautioned the government against using the state institutions for enhancing its credibility, adding people were hesitant to deposit their funds for relief, as they doubted rulers' credentials.
PPPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan disputed the government's claim that everything was under control and relief operations were being carried out in a smooth way.
He also called for transparency in the usage of relief funds and the foreign aid, saying one individual could not handle such a situation.
Aitzaz alleged the government was doing fraud in fulfilling requirement of ensuring 130 days sittings of the house.
"The rules do not allow 60 days sittings and 70 days holidays. It means the assembly should meet and dispose of business for 130 days," he argued.
State minister for finance Omar Ayub told the house the government was doing all it could to alleviate sufferings of quake victims and he threw light on the working of the five-member ministerial committee.
"At this critical juncture, there is no government or opposition; we are all one to handle this national disaster," he contended.
He paid tributes to masses and the army and maintained it was true that some localities were still inaccessible.
Others who spoke were Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Sahibzada Fazal Karim, Naveed Qamar, Haneef Abbasi and Zahid Hamid.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2005

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