FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

The rather longish sitting of the National Assembly on Tuesday was unique in many ways. Firstly, the House could take up the entire agenda for the day, an unprecedented development all the more, as it was private members' day.
Secondly, embattled members Qari Gul Rehman and Kirshan Bheel came to the dais before the speaker's desk and embraced each other, saving the opposition from a serious embarrassment.
And thirdly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan did not attend the proceedings, which perhaps was the reason that the House could keep its peace and tranquility. Yet the opposition was itching to precipitate a discussion on the Kalabagh Dam, the issue that tends to dominate the national political scenario, even cloud the future of parliamentary democracy in Pakistan.
Given that there was no question hour Speaker Amir Hussain opened the floor allowing the members to give vent to their grievances. Hazar Khan Bijrani wanted discussion on his calling attention notice about theft of a huge quantity of petrol in which he said some highly placed people are involved. The chair agreed to take it up on Wednesday.
Farid Paracha pleaded for immediate supply of shelters, gas cylinders and food stocks lasting over three months. Mujeeb Pirzada asked the speaker to return their collective contribution amounting to about Rs 15 million if this was still with the bank and not used to provide relief to the quake victims. That prompted Amir Hussain to give in some detail how that money was spent.
Qurban Ali Shah wanted his complaint against police officials who had refused to take action against hooligans that had attacked him during the local bodies elections be referred to the committee of the House. Education Minister General Ashraf Qazi (Retd), who was standing for his colleagues to offer the government side, opposed the move, but the chair ordered that the report on the incident be secured from the province and presented to the House.
However, it was Pervaiz Malik's adjournment motion on the jacked up interest rates by banks that had the potential to trigger an interesting debate. At 14 percent the high bank interest rate is playing havoc with the agriculture and industry, while the same is being manipulated for the benefit of some.
Minister of State for Law Shahid Bhinder opposed the motion because quite a few banks are in the private sector and that precludes discussion on the subject in the House. To this, Pervaiz Malik did not accept that logic, saying since the regulating authority is the State Bank of Pakistan the issue of high interest rates could be discussed by the House. Realising that the matter was technical and only the concerned minister could offer a reply the speaker observed, "I will give my ruling after applying my mind."
Then came up the calling attention notice filed by five PPPP members who wanted the House to discuss awarding of a contract worth Rs 375 million for the construction of Lahore-Okara bypass by the National Highway Authority "without tender". Speaking for the concerned minister Qazi contested the PPPP's members' contention, saying the bidding was transparent as it was awarded after due process as bids were invited through an advertisement.
As the members' information about the said contract was only newspaper deep the minister confronted the questions about it quite effectively. That was perhaps not to the liking of Khwaja Asif who loudly wondered why all the contracts were awarded to a particular company?
The agenda for the day also included an amendment in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 1992 moved by M.P. Bhandara who was motivated by the singular desire that "the House should keep working". In fact, what Bhandara had moved was a spanner in the works of a special committee set up earlier under the chairmanship of Chief Whip Nasrullah Khan Dareshak. Why not to bring the report of that committee to the House? Liaquat Baloch asked. Dareshak said he would do so shortly after the final meeting.
But that meeting had have not taken place, Bhandara complained over the last so many months. But the speaker sent that motion to the Rules of Procedure Committee, which too is tasked with the same job.
Other listed items that were taken up by the House included a resolution for enhanced pension to the retirees of private firms and discussion under Rule 69 on the need to provide free-of-cost seeds and fertiliser to the farmers in the quake-hit areas and construction of inexpensive and earthquake-proof houses. Samia Raheel Qazi had moved both the items.
But, as always, the points of order for which the speaker had fixed the last half an hour as the "zero hour" created the ambience of a functioning Parliament. Sherry Rehman was the first to ask the chair what happened to the opposition's adjournment motion about President Musharraf's statements on Kalabagh Dam.
Then came Naheed Khan who made a scathing attack on the president for his reported remark that he would remain in power till the dam is completed and that Punjab would demolish all who oppose this project. "He (the president) wants to pit provinces against each other...I challenge him: If he has the courage let him address this Parliament." She also rejected the report attributed to a minister that the government is in contact with Benazir Bhutto.
Opining that the issue of reservoirs was being raised to divide the opposition Tehmina Daultana called the president the Gorbachev of Pakistan who wants to rent asunder the country. The speaker may allow a debate in the House on the Kalabagh Dam, but he made no such commitment, as he ambivalently remarked that "the members may make their points tomorrow".