Energy related issues are coming to the fore, at least in the Senate. On Wednesday, most of the questions taken up were about petroleum products, power plants, Thar coal and windmills. As expected, a glass that was 'half full' for the water and power minister Liaquat Jatoi, it was 'half empty' for Colonel Tahir Hussain Mashhadi.
As Jatoi talked of scores of projects in the pipeline, Mashhadi protested: "How long we have to live in darkness?". Carried by the flourish in the expression of the minister, acting chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali most willingly agreed to extend the question hour by almost an hour, to the chagrin of Anwer Bhinder who insisted that one hour reserved for the question hour should mean one hour.
Not surprisingly, the house witnessed its walkout also because of mismatching perceptions on energy prices. As the state minister for petroleum, Naseer Mengal, was speaking on an adjournment motion about miserly reduction in petroleum products prices the opposition said he was wide off the truth, and walked out of the house.
What followed was funnier, to say the least. As soon as the opposition left the house, the leader of the house, Wasim Sajjad, too, got up and led his side out of the Senate, saying that they were walking out in protest against opposition's walkout.
In fact, there was not much to take up after the opposition had left. The agenda, apart from the question hour, as usual, being very brief, was taken care of in less than a hour, although after so many days the house had done some legislation.
After the first quarterly report of the State Bank for 2006-07 and three ordinances had been laid, Nouraize Shakjoor moved the bill providing for establishment of the National Institute of Oceanography as reported by the Mediation Committee. It was promptly passed, as it was not opposed in view of the fact that the opposition members on the Mediation Committee had approved it, and, therefore, leader of opposition Raza Rabbani felt its passage should not be objected to.
Meanwhile, state minister for interior Zafar Warriach was on his feet to offer answers to some of the questions that were raised on Monday. About the refusal of the Kashmir Highway toll plaza staff to issue receipt to Asfandyar Wali he informed the house that two of the staff were sacked. As for the dacoity in Kahuta he said inquiry was in full swing and criminals would not be spared.
About disappearance of journalist Suhail Qalandar, the minister apprised the house of the latest situation. But that did not satisfy the reporters in the press gallery, who walked out. But after assurance offered by state ministers Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli and Tariq Azeem that on Friday the government would make a statement, they returned to the gallery.
But it was heartening to learn from inter-provincial affairs minister Saleem Saifullah that given the history of kidnapping for ransom in the tribal area it was very likely that Qalander would be recovered in a couple of days.
Strangely enough as the days pass, Senate proceedings are acquiring inertia and inactivity. There is not much in terms of legislation that the house is doing, its main activity being question hour, some motions and points of order and ordinances that are regularly laid.
Apparently, the power play, presently going on between the government and the opposition and between various components of the opposition, tends to distract the senators. Every day, there would be some political development that would dwarf the Senate work. And, then there are very disturbing moves on the foreign affairs front that too steal away the interest from the floor of the Senate. The house will now meet on Thursday evening.
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