FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

Of course our parliamentarians always complain that they are given less time to discuss and debate the issues of national importance. But it was the other way round as we witnessed in the National Assembly sitting on Wednesday. This was the second day of debate on the federal budget and the house ran out of the MNAs who were ready to participate in the debate in afternoon.
This development has prompted the deputy speaker Faisal Karim Kundi chairing the sitting to hurriedly adjourn the proceedings of the house nearly three hours earlier if we compare it with the house closing a day earlier.
As usual, most of the MNAs especially those from the PPP were not interested to listen to those participating in the debate. Interestingly, the debate in the Senate looked to be more serious business though the upper house, like the National Assembly, was only thinly attended.
There could be an argument that some senators were attending the meeting of the house standing committee on finance and this might be the reason for thin attendance of the members. In the afternoon, deputy chairman Senate Jan Muhammad Jamali got bored while presiding over the session, was seen attending the National Assembly session as he was sitting in the visitors' gallery.
The deputy chairman is actually acting chairman due to President Zardari foreign trip and chairman Senate Farooq H Naik has to act as acting president. Budget debate might not be an interesting subject for Jan Jamali who is famous to make a fun out of serious matters. His comments always refresh the minds. He is really missed when he remains away from chairing the session.
On Tuesday, he gave a very good suggestion of exempting SMS from taxing. Through SMSs exchanges, the people ventilate their despair. Jamali was, probably, not knowing that SMSs were earning a bad name for the government and a few of its top slots. Senator Salim Saifullah Khan gave a rationale behind the government move to tax SMSs and said that most of SMSs are actually anti-government and that is why it is keen to tax them to restrict their flow.
Jan Jamali also called for granting the status of a province to Fata. This is also very doable measure, which could raise the hope for normalcy in the troubled areas. In his absence the Senate proceeding remains dull. One does not understand why does he prefer to witness the NA proceedings as visitor? Probably he is planning to contest elections next time to become a member of the National Assembly-the directly elected house.
In both houses, there were calls from Punjab MNAs in favour of the construction of Kalabagh dam, which has allegedly been scrapped from the development plan of the present PPP government. Senator Naeem Hussain Chatta from the PML (Q) raised this issue in speech.
But his voice was not strong enough. One can understand the political compulsion of the present coalition government for having this stance. The present government featuring anti-Kalabagh parties like the PPP, the MQM, the ANP and the JUI-F. MNA Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan from the PML (N) forcefully advocated the construction of the KBD.
The controversy regarding this project has reached a level of difference within the political parties. The PPP Punjab leaders would definitely support this project. The PPP leaders from the party stronghold Sindh are having entirely different view on the issue. Similar is the case with other political parties. What was interesting in Dastgir's view was his irrelevant arguments.
Being an engineer, he totally ignored the crucial aspect of creating a consensus on the construction of the project. He was critical of Basha dam and said that it could not be KBD substitute. Even his own PML (N) is having the view that consensus is the prerequisite before the government goes for KBD.
Pakistan is in dire need of national unity. This is, probably, not an appropriate time to raise the issue of controversial KBD. Certain political parties, who claim to be champion and protector of Sindh's rights, are already on the roads opposing the IDPs settlements in any part of the province. Even on Wednesday they held a demonstration on Sindh/Punjab border against the IDPs entry into province. We do not know, but their moves are bringing about serious threats to the national integrity.
Any reference to President Zardari from the PML (N) has really irritates the PPP lawmakers. Gul Muhammad Khan Jhakrani MNA was really disturbed with the Zardari's criticism by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan the other day. Jhakrani spoke for quite some time and he defended the President.
Sometimes one feels that Zardari is to the PPP what former president Musharraf was to the PML (Q). The PML (Q) had been defending the indefensible one for more than five years. The same looks to be the case for the PPP lawmakers as long as they remain in power. Here I would quote JI senator Professor Khurshid Ahmad.
He said the government is claiming that it is facing the legacy of the failed economic policies pursued by Musharraf-Shaukat Aziz regime. That is correct. But it is also a fact that this government is continuing those failed policies in areas of economic, financial, security and foreign policies. The nation voted for 'change' and not for 'continuity'.
It is unfortunate that this budget is a status-quo budget except a few fringe changes. The objectives as well as the major parameters of those policies remained unchanged. This budget is not growth and welfare oriented, he added. This continuation has to be stopped. Actually this is the thing due to which Zardari popularity graph, according to a survey, is lower than that of Musharraf. Zardari is an elected president, he must not act like his predecessor.