President, former Prime Minister blamed for poor law, order, long hours' power cuts

President Pervez Musharraf and former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz came under scathing criticism in Senate for the poor law and order and frequent long hours of power cuts haunting the nation.
"The law and order situation is backlash of Musharraf's internal and external policies," said leader of the house Senator Mian Raza Rabbani while participating in debate on law and order situation in the upper house on Thursday.
It was again Rabbani holding the former Prime Minister and his government responsible for the current power crisis in the country. "I say it on the record at the floor of this house that Shaukat came here as agent. He was supported by the PML (Q) to financially cripple this country. He and his government deliberately created power shortage in this country," he told the house after opposition benches staged a token walk out from the house as a protest over loadshedding.
Rabbani continued that Shaukat Aziz wanted Pakistan to be a market for western multi-national companies. "He (Shaukat Aziz) was here just to serve the interests of big companies," he responded to the opposition criticism on the government over the electricity crisis.
Senator Waseem Sajjad of the PML (Q) said that advancing the time by one hour created a lot of troubles for the school going children. "This step has not saved any electricity. There is no need of staging dramas and the government should revert its decision of forwarding the clock by one hour," he said. Water and power minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said that power shortage was a reality and the nation would have to suffer due to the wrong policies of the previous government. He said that there would be no loadshedding next year in the country.
Later, participating in the debate on law and order situation, the ANP and PPP senators held the previous government in general and Pervez Musharraf in particular for the current poor law and order situation in the country. Senator Nisar Memon of the PML (Q) blamed the present government for lacking coherence in its policies. The coalition parties in the government are having divergent views on important issues. One coalition party has one-point agenda of reinstatement of deposed judges. The other coalition political force is keen to change the name of a province, he said. The leading coalition partner PPP, looks least interested to solve the problems of price hike and lawlessness being faced by the common man, he said.
'In the past people used to be killed with bullets. Today, they are killed by cutting their throats. In federating units, ethnical attacks have been started," he said. On one hand, the government wants to strengthen the parliament, but on the other, it creates confusion about the president, who is part of the legislature under the constitution. "When one sees the current state of affairs, he can safely ask the question 'where is the law and where is the order?" he said. Haji Muhammad Adeel of the ANP said that law and order situation was improving. In the past the whole nation was under the serious threat of terrorism. "Even the so-called president and dummy former prime minister were attacked," he said.
In Swat, schools, colleges, shops, hotels and restaurants were closed. The whole scenic valley was literally under the curfew for several months. Now the schools, the shops and hotels and restaurants have been reopened, he said adding that the dialogue process has not been completed so far.
In the previous government, the agencies had strong say in the state's affairs. Even presently, a parallel system is run from the President House. When the government brings the constitutional package and pass it, then, it would be parliament and not the presidency to take each and every decision of national importance, he said.
Senator Professor Ibrahim of Jamaat-e-Islami said that the government would have to stop the blame game for the poor law and order situation in the country. Before bringing the constitutional package, the government should take General Musharraf to the task, he said. "Bring him (Musharraf) before the parliament for explaining his actions, especially the imposition of emergency on November 3, 2007," he urged.
He said he and his party were of the view that the Musharraf-led previous government was responsible for the current miss. But, this is not the end. Now this government has a responsibility and it will have to take the necessary steps, he added.
Senator Raza Muhammad Raza of Pukhtunkhwah Milli Awami Party said that the party was not having any right to rule the country, if it fails to ensure law and order situation in the country. He warned the federal and NWFP governments that surrendering to militants would be fatal. "We do not oppose negotiations, but the government will have to ensure its writ in the whole country," he added. Pakistan will face the eventuality if it failed to control the foreign militants, who are living here from the times when they were required for Afghan war against the former Soviet Union.