FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

The long-simmering political confrontation inside the parliament and outside in bars and bazaars seems coming to a head. The opposition in the National Assembly on Thursday boycotted the proceedings with a promise that the boycott would continue on Friday also - in order to join the nation-wide shutdown it has called.
Meanwhile, its leadership will give a serious thought to the growing demand from within to resign from parliament and provincial legislatures. All Parties Conference held here on Thursday, prompted by Nawaz Sharif who addressed it telephonically, also gave thought to this option. The first to do that may well be the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, which, when resigns from Balochistan next week, will bring down the Jam-led provincial government.
In fullness of time one would comprehend the decisive role this week had played in our national history. While admitting the opposition members' nine adjournment motions to discuss the Balochistan situation the day before Speaker Amir Hussain had volunteered that on Thursday the question hour would be suspended in addition to orders of the day to begin the day with debate on the motions filed by the opposition. But that did not happen, and the question hour was taken up.
Halfway through the question hour the Speaker opened the floor for other items enlisted on the agenda. Seven ordinances were then laid, after a small but contentious debate, with opposition's Mujeeb Pirzada contesting the validity of re-promulgation of ordinances in violation of Supreme Court's verdict. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan rejected Pirzada's contention arguing that the apex court had barred the President whereas the ordinances are issued "at the advice of the prime minister". Some how the Speaker was reluctant to take a position on the matter and observed that "unless he had understood the legal aspect of it he would not give his ruling."
Another issue that took some of the time was a calling attention notice by the opposition members on Rs 20 billion DTRE refund scam involving one Raja Zaraat. State Minister Omar Ayub played fair admitting that he knew nothing about it except that what he had read in newspapers. "I am not sure what is the factual position. I don't deal with revenue side of the finance ministry". He had no objection to the members' demand that the said calling attention notice be referred to the Public Accounts Committee.
The Chair, however, thought it more practical that the standing committee on finance should look into it. At long last the time arrived for the adjournment motions and the Chair invited Rauf Mengal to open the debate on Balochistan imbroglio. While Balochistan is burning the government is acting out a farce as to how Nawab Akbar Bugti was disposed of.
There is a glaring contradiction in the position taken by the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations and the minister for information. "His (Bugti's) body is lying in the GHQ...Chemical weapons were used", said the member from Balochistan, wondering isn't it for this that the faces of the military officers killed in the cave were not shown to their families.
He called for a halt to the military operation and handing over of the bodies of Bugti and his men "otherwise we will appeal to the world community, to the United Nations, to the Amnesty International that we should be saved from state terrorism". He also expected help and assistance from the Nato, now stationed in the neighbouring Afghanistan.
This was a stunning account, an immobilising threat, reminiscent of the nightmarish days preceding the separation of East Pakistan. Instead of Interior Minister Sherpao it was once again Sher Afgan to present the government side of the story. Bugti's body is not there in the GHQ and chemical weapons were not used.
He also brought out the irony that Nato troops presence to help earthquake victims was resented by the opposition but now its intervention is being invited. Then he focussed on the killing of "hundreds" of Punjabis in Balochistan. But it was his sum-up that put the opposition on its feet. "Is one person more important than thousands who have been killed. He (Akbar Bugti) was undermining the national interests. He was killed in an encounter and his killing was right thing to have happened."
Hafiz Hussain Ahmad was then on his feet to rebut Sher Afgan. Who is right, Sher Afgan or ISPR's Major General Shaukat Sultan, as the former says Bugti was killed in an encounter while the ISPR chief said, "We didn't want to kill Bugti". As for the minister's charge that hundreds of Punjabis were killed this is not true, the member said, adding, "that can happen only over our dead bodies".
The Chair then gave the floor to treasury member Farooq Amjad Mir who did concede that "what Sher Afgan had said can be his personal opinion", but was not able to say anything beyond this because the opposition put its foot down. Since Mir is not the signatory to any of the adjournment motions he has no right to offer his point of view, thundered Shah Mehmud Qureshi. Soon more members from the opposition joined him.
Speaker Amir Hussain was however insistent that the proceedings as conducted were in line with an understanding reached earlier between the two sides. The opposition rejected that. To this the Speaker reacted by threatening to adjourn the House. In came Zafarullah Jamali, with an appeal to the Chair not to resort to adjournment. By then the opposition had left the House boycotting the proceedings. The boycott will continue when the House will meet on Friday morning.