FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

Choti yae, which is the second last alphabet of Urdu language, discloses the most important aspect in appointments of ministers and government high ups. How does it do? For this we need to go to the speech of Ijaz Virk a PPP MNA, who had resigned as parliamentary secretary for petroleum.
This choti yae is actually last alphabet of the Names of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. I will request the readers to please pronounce the names of head of the state and head of the government and other government high ups I am mentioning below in Urdu. Now read the names of government ministers whose names close on the same choti yae.
Let us start from Raza Rabbani, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Peer Aftab Gilani, Samsam Bukhari, Israrullah Zehri, Hamid Saeed Kazmi, Shagufta Jumani, Baji Samina Khalid Ghurki, Azam Swati and the list will go on if I continue to write all the names mentioned by Virk. At one point he also mentioned the name of principal secretary to the president whose name also closes at choti yae.
A very surprising revelation was related by Virk. He began his speech in a very light mood. There was smile on almost every face sitting in the opposition, which includes the two factions of Muslim League. The MQM, which is still sitting on the opposition side, is no more part of it.
I do not think that Virk was really disturbed with alphabet choti yae. He might be disturbed with what is going on. In indirect words he was urging the government to do something to resolve the judiciary issue before the lawyers' next to next month long march. Lest the nation hear the words of 'my dear countrymen' (from a military general) once again if the lawyers went ahead with their long march slated to be held March-largely held as crucial month for the current political dispensation. Was he anticipating another martial law? Yes this was the case.
Was Virk making any fun? No Not at all. Initially he was thought of making fun. But when he was about to reach at the conclusion, he was serious and he brought almost every member of the entire House to seriousness, which seldom visited our parliament in the session.
I will not say that Virk remarks are the indication of rift within the PPP. One should also not bring him into the category in which presently the PPP leaders like Naheed Khan and her spouse Safdar Abbasi fall. Virk gave a warning of crisis in the offing, though his mike was off when he was trying to highlight the troubles of the poor of this country.
He was beating his chest with both of his hands, but speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza was not kind enough to give him a few more minutes. Virk, who was hugged by the PML-N and the PML-Q MNAs after his speech, was giving a warning mostly in an indirect manner, because he is the MNA of the ruling party. The PML-N MNA Tehmina Daulatana's warning, however, was clear and unambiguous. If you disqualify Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif-the PML-N Quaid and president, we will not see this development as silent spectators.
She gave a clear warning. "At one meeting, I had proposed to the party to resign en bloc from parliament, if our leadership was disqualified by the PCO judges. This parliament has its stakes in every elected party, and so is the case of the PML (N), she said. We see the crisis coming. We do see it, Madam Speaker! she added while speaking in English.
In my opinion, Tehmina gave a message to the government so clear that even the most harsh step of resigning from the parliament was considered at one time within the PML-N. Raza Hayat Hiraj, a PML-Q MNA and former minister raised his voice for dividing Punjab in two provinces. If there is a separate federating unit in Punjab, there is nothing bad in this, he said. His proposal came a few days after the MQM filed an amendment bill primarily aimed at provincial autonomy.
On the presidential address, the MNAs from coalition partners of the PPP could not find words that could praise Zardari speech in clear words. Those who praised Zardari were only the PPP MNAs except Virk, who is elected to the National Assembly for the first time. Since it is his first time in parliament, he resigned from the office of parliamentary secretary. His inexperience speaks when he had resigned-not a general fashion among the politicians.
Interior advisor Rehman Malik in Senate gave a clear warning to Swat Taliban. "Just lay down your arms or face the action," were his words when winded up debate on law and order and national security in the upper house. Afazal Khan Lala of Swat, the ANP leader and former minister, emerged as hero in the Senate.
He was praised by government. He was praised by the president when he called Lala on Wednesday. Lala put stiff resistance to Taliban in Swat. With the help of his own security guards, Lala has repulsed several Taliban attacks on his hujra in Swat where the government writ has been seriously challenged. Does not Lala's heroic offer a lesson for the government? I think the government has started taking its lessons at last.