FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

The Leader of the House looked agitated as he paced in and out of the Senate Hall on Tuesday to bring Interior Advisor Rahman Malik inside, where a debate on law and order was going on.
Conversely, the latter (Rahman's) body language was well composed as he sat in the front row of Ministerial desk, to take down notes, although, Rahman might have much explaining to do considering his talk (order) to the Chief Minister NWFP to agree to the postponement of National Assembly by-election to mid August on the pretext of deteriorating law and order situation.
The plain truth is that all stakeholders connected with the by-election, including his own party chief, Asif Zardari, the Presidency, or the PML-N, were not privy to his decision. All had protested. Even the Election Commission who had notified the postponement had to sit in for a revision of the previous day's announcement.
The Media tried in the Parliament House to seek him out for comments, but had failed in establishing any contact with him. Peace and tranquillity reigning in the land must have some relation to good governance, and the question came up in the law and order debate opened by Abdur Rahim Mandokhel, who quoted Article 4 of the Constitution that states that each citizen must show loyalty to the Constitution, and everyone must live within the law. If he failed to do so, the Rule of law would disappear from the land. As a good measure Mandokhel accused the jihadi elements of working outside the Constitution.
"They have the choice of propagating their ideas on the platform of a political party, and implement them through the Parliament if they win election. Why should they do otherwise in opening training camps and cutting down the lives of innocent people through terrorist game plans?"
Kamran Murtaza suggested that law and order had a habit of retreating after the highest of land gets indemnity from illegal acts. Correspondingly, the lower echelon also hopes to get off the hook if he also commits grave errors, and this encourages the wrong doer to disrespect law and rules.
However, Azam Swati attributed the worsening law and order situation to the American factor, when we agreed to obey the US dictates and we have been gifted with hordes of terrorists and suicide bombers. Quoting George Washington, he said America's first President was offered help by France in driving the British out of their territory. The American general did not accept the offer because it would dilute the sovereignty of his country.
During Fahem Thaheem's intervention, complaining about the disappearance and kidnapping of youths of the minority community, especially in Jacobabad, the home district of Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro, we came across a pleasant attitude that emphasised that "they were children of God Almighty, not just Hindu boys. It showed some kind of advancement in the thought process of our lawmakers "
It was at this point that the Interior Advisor reporting the House of the stern action he had taken which had led to the release of 45 kidnapped persons in Sindh, asking Senators to send him written reports of wrong doings to keep on doing what he could to curb the menace.
We had to leave the debate with 29 Senators still on the waiting list when Senator Liaquat Bangalzai, from Balochistan, who was in the presiding officer's chair called a halt. The debate would be resumed after Advisor Rahman Malik is available to wind it up. In another interesting interlude during the Question Hour, we learnt of 287,707 Pakistanis sent abroad for employment during 2007.
However, Enver Beg insisted they were sent by the private sector. How many were sponsored by the government's Overseas Employment? Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, deputising for Labour Minister Khursheed Shah, paused and peered at the face of Beg. The Minister obviously said he did not wish to expand on this theme, although Beg had accused him of fielding unsatisfactory reply.
Beg spoke no further. People sitting in the Galleries guessed the reason for the Minister's hesitation, remembering that Beg has a business in export of manpower.
An interesting part of the same question was about the scale to measure unemployment. The answer sheet gave information that Pakistan had 2.6 million unemployed persons, according to a survey conducted in 2006. But Minister Kaira implied it was a cooked up estimate. The real number of unemployed persons is 4.5 million. He went on to explain that the previous government included relatives of shop owners who would turn up at the premises to relieve the owner for an hour or so.
Then how did one define an employed person? The Minister replied the ILO has a benchmark, although the previous government was quite untruthful about this, too, in changing the yardstick and measuring this according to the number of calories a person consumed, and including them among employed persons. Minister Kaira promised to conduct a proper survey based on quizzing at least 30,000 labourers' home in all four provinces.
From here we come to Colonel Tahur Husaain Mashahdi, who wanted that mistakes were being assigned to the past governments and this must end. It is the business of the government to provide good governance. The election had given mandate to the winning party and the people expect the present government to deliver. The normal practice is that the opposition is perceived to be government in waiting. The present government should have done their homework and come prepared with alternative plans.
Is the present government unprepared with a programme to effect the promised good governance? This was a riposte to a government, still dithering on the issue of the restoration of judges. We have to say in this regard that the May 12 deadline may also pass without a resolution passed by the National Assembly. We asked Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi if the Assembly would be summoned on May 12 or about that date. He didn't think so. This is in spite of the disclosure made by Izhar Amrohvi that NA Members have been asked to be ready because the lower House might be summoned any time within the next 24 hours.
In a call attention notice Anwar Bhinder wanted our Embassies failed to look after the welfare of Pakistanis who went abroad and some how landed in trouble. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tried to assure him that the job was being done by our Chanceries abroad, but from the tone and tenor of reply one could discern a look of disquiet on his face.