The National Assembly sitting on Friday morning that later turned momentous looked drab at the start. First few rows on both sides of the aisle were initially empty, as heavyweights were not present. Still it was not so colourless an affair as one had some funny exchanges to smile on.
One such moment was when Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Tanveer Sayed responded to a member's complaint about the absence of ministers.
"The parliamentary secretary is supposed to be a minister when answering questions on the floor. So just imagine a minister is standing before you," Syed pointed towards himself. Liaquat Baloch too was in the mood of having some fun; "Would-be and minister-in-waiting, in fact, a parliamentary secretary is" was his matching response.
The 'joke' was over in a fraction of a minute, but not so. For those who are even partial insiders of the ruling PML affairs it was more than a joke. They know it reflects the mindset of those who were left out when Shaukat Aziz battalion-sized cabinet was designed. They still feel deprived of the fiesta many of their colleagues are enjoying. Poor chaps!
Amidst all these happening former Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali walked in. He had rarely made an appearance in the House of which he was once the leader. It was only when times favoured him.
What a lowering of stature now he is not even being accepted as the secretary general by the party that once raised him as the premier. PML chief whip Nasrullah Dreshak almost hurled him to the prime minister's chamber. What for was clear in the afternoon when he withdrew or was forced to withdraw his candidature against the incumbent PML secretary general Mushahid Hussain for elections to be held today.
Even the support for Jamali of party's heavyweights like Ijazul Haq and Chattha could not weaken the position of Mushahid, an Establishment's blue-eyed and a surprise pick for the slot. An indication that who use whom for what in Pakistan's byzantine political games.
M P Bhandara, a minority member, then had to face the frenzy of a one of his furious colleagues. Getting a chance to speak on a point of order, Bhandara complained about 'unpleasant' remarks some treasury members passed against him on day before yesterday when he opposed the resolution to condemn Israeli aggressions in Lebanon.
But Rashid Akbar got infuriated when Bhandara, the owner of a brewery, said liquor is also being consumed in the parliament lodges, the home of MNAs and senators.
"He must feel ashamed. Our families live in the lodges. Throw him out of the House," said Rashid that compelled Bhandara to his seat for an apology.
Then started the real show and it all looked belonging to opposition when a debate on the alleged involvement of the Prime Minister in the troubled Pakistan Steel Mills sell-off got underway.
The Supreme Court's recent detailed verdict was a strong point with the opposition members to exploit. So they said whatever 'worse' they could against the Premier.
"I have in my hands the verdict of the Supreme Court. This is your indictment...You better surrender to it and go where you have come from," remarked Aitzaz Ahsan who spoke on the highest pitch of his voice.
The PPPP member in his hour-long speech warned the Prime Minister not to be taken in by pressure group who would advise you against resigning because they want "to create justification for the imposition of 58 (2) B."
Aitzaz, an imminent lawyer, interpreted parts of the verdict to prove that it had actually established a corruption case against Shaukat Aziz though the apex court in the decision did not use the word.
After the fiery speech of Aitzaz, Farooq Amjad Mir from the treasury benches could not prove logical enough to counter the criticism.
In the Senate too, it was a difficult day for the government as the opposition staged a walkout demanding the resignation of the Premier.
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