FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

A divided lower House on Friday was prorogued amid yelling, protest, and walk out on question whether NWFP can be called Pukhtunkhwah without bringing an amendment in the Constitution. Some parliamentarians losing temper was the worst part of the proceedings. The roaring House in the dying hour of the proceedings forced the chair to hastily read prorogation order.
Setting the civilised behaviour aside, their yelling and shouting attracted attention of those in the gallery as they expose each other only when they are dragger drawn on a controversial issue. For me, it was interesting to go through a window, which showed me the glimpses of deeds some of their leaders had in the past.
The ANP was linked with former Soviet Union and India, while Captain Safdar (Retd), the son in law of Nawaz Sharif was said to have no locus standi to object to the name of Pukhtunkhwah for the NWFP. I cannot explain most of the rhetoric of both the sides because most of the remarks were expunged.
Captain Safdar (Retd) was right when he pointed out that Pukhtunkhawah as name for NWFP has not been mentioned in the Constitution. Nobody can deny this fact. But sometimes facts when uttered in an inappropriate manner invite some backlash and this was expected from ANP but reaction from the MQM was surprising. ANP and MQM have little common ground, but they were up against the PML (N) after Safdar's point of order.
Nevertheless, the issue might be too important for both the sides, pro and anti, but it was not appropriate for either, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) or Awami National Party (ANP), to go into the past and blame each other and their leaders in a language totally inappropriate to the House.
Not once but twice during a short verbal brawl between the two parties the chair expunged remarks - a bad stain in Parliamentary democracy. We usually allege others without even thinking about our past. This is what exactly happened in the National Assembly.
Son in law of Nawaz Sharif on a point of order as to how Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Raza Rabbani have called NWFP on the floor of the House Pukhtunkhwah, invited a strong reaction from the ANP. Safdar asked the government to lend him a copy of the Constitution that carries Pukhtunkhwah in it because the one he had still mention the province name as NWFP.
His remarks that calling Pukhtunkhwah entails a conspiracy to impose 40 percent Pashto speaking minority on 60 percent non-Pakhtoons infuriated ANP and consequently the House was in rumpus. Safdar made some comments about ANP leaders which were expunged by the chair and forgotten his party chief cordial relationship with Wali Khan in the past. Nawaz Sharif had visited Wali Bagh during his previous tenure and acknowledged ANP as loyal and patriot political party more than any other in the country.
Likewise ANP also made some harsh remarks against PML-N leader, sparking a noisy protest led by Tehmina Daultana threatening walk out if Safdar was denied a point of order. Thus the actual issue evaporated with both the parties alleging each other for their past actions. The MQM was too dragged in the imbroglio as Captain Safdar was upset why MQM Haider Abbas Rizvi has called NWFP as Pukhtunkhwah during his speech on Presidential address on Thursday.
Haider Abbas made a good point by asking why PML-N had no objection to the province being called as "Sarhad" as this word, too, was not in the Constitution. He asked the PML-N to do something about this as well if it does not want NWFP to be called as Pukhtunkhwah.
Dear Safdar do something about those as well who have been calling the province Sarhad or sit with the ANP leadership to arrive at some consensus if his party really wants to resolve the issue and was not scoring the political points. These issues must be settled once for all and we hope that your party, next in line for power, would not undo things done by this government.
Raza Rabbani was right that the provinces must be given autonomy, constitutional, financial as well as the right to change the name. His statement on the flour of the House was a clear indication as if the government is convinced that the name of the province must be changed from NWFP to Pukhtunkhwah, as he also referred to unanimous resolutions passed by the provincial assembly.
Marginalisation of Pakhtoons is neither in the benefit of NWFP nor Pakistan, as it would further strengthen militancy. In the past, some elements in the establishment have always dubbed nationalists in NWFP and Balochistan as "anti-state" and this policy worked. For the last some decades, the nationalists were marginalised that, somehow, resulted in strengthening the religious parties.
The present wave of terrorism is also believed to be one of outcomes of past policies. Difference among different linguistic groups in the province would only benefit the militancy that intends or strive to change the people of Pakistan according to their ideology.
All we can hope from the political leaders whether from ANP, PML-N, PPP or MQM not to lend more opportunities to those who have already catapulted country into a deep morass. Mature political leadership always prefers to resolve difference through political discourse instead of losing temperament and travelling in the past.