In a significant move, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) has hinted at referring the issue of Pakistan Steel Mills' sell-off to the joint sitting of both houses of the Parliament through NWFP chief minister.
MMA sources revealed to Business Recorder here on Saturday that Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani was consulting the alliance leadership and legal experts before making up his mind when to take the initiative.
Most probably, he could furnish a report on the privatisation policy, focussing the PSM issue after the disposal of keenly-awaited no-trust motion against Premier Aziz, to be filed on August 23 and is to be dispensed with within a week.
Durrani had opposed the mills' privatisation at the Council of Common Interests meeting, which was held after the Supreme Court's short order, annulling the deal.
A senior leader of the alliance, however, was sceptical about the government honouring their possible 'requisition', as President Musharraf did not address the Parliament's special sitting last year and this year as well, there is apparently no chance of fulfilment of the constitutional requirement.
Like the president staying away from the Parliament, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had also now started following the suit by ignoring both the Houses despite his presence in the Parliament House. The opposition's demand that he should defend himself in the Parliament has been set aside.
"If the application is dealt with in accordance with the Constitution, it will mean more embarrassment for the rulers, which they may not afford at this critical juncture," commented MMA's Deputy Secretary General Hafiz Hussain Ahmad while talking to Business Recorder.
Expressing his ignorance about the stage of proposal, Opposition Leader in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani told this correspondent that MMA was seriously mulling to opt for the move, if the government itself shows no interest to summon the sitting.
He strongly advocated for the arrangement, saying that after the apex court judgement, the government's privatisation policy stood totally exposed, necessitating new parliamentary guidelines thereon.
Any of the four provinces could apply for the requisition if it feels like being dissatisfied or aggrieved with other federating units' decision on any particular matter.
Prime Minister heads it while chief ministers of the provinces and four federal ministers are its members. In the absence of premier, the president is empowered to nominate a federal minister to be its chairman.
The council is responsible to the Parliament. The decision of the Parliament on any issue brought for resolution, according to Artcile-154 of the Constitution 'shall' be final.
They said that the MMA's Supreme Council would be giving final approval for the move that had immense importance in the face of NWFP's dissenting note during the recently held Council of Common Interest's approval to PSM sell-off and several other entities for privatisation.
MMA's hint comes on the heels of Opposition Leader Rabbani's opening speech in the Senate on Tuesday in which he said that if the government did not summon the Parliament's joint sitting, NWFP reserved the right to do so, as Durrani had opposed the mills' privatisation.
The opposition has been calling for convening the forum to issue fresh guidelines to the government, after the Supreme Court annulling the PSM deal, pointing to omissions and commissions and 'indecent haste' in the process.
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