The issue of missing Na'alain-e-Mubarak (shoes) of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) again echoed in the National Assembly on Thursday, as the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) flayed the government for its failure to recover them or fix responsibility in this context.
Through a calling attention notice, MMA MNA Abul Khair M. Zubair raised the issue and agitated if attackers of the President and Prime Minister could be traced, why not those involved in the disappearance of precious shoes. Religious affairs minister Ejazul Haq said a committee had reviewed the matter, but did not fix responsibility for the unfortunate incident that took place in 2002 in Lahore.
The minister assured the house he would be contacting Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on the issue and would also call for increasing the Rs 2 million cash prize for any one who could trace them or give a credible clue of the culprits behind it.
Fehmida Mirza and Yousaf Talpur of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) asked the government to explain imposition of ban on teachers union in Sindh and the police heavy-handedness against male and female teachers for agitating against the action.
They contended on August 22, more than 350 teachers were arrested during the anti-ban protest and tortured in confinement. They were released afterwards; however, 30 of them were still missing while 124 of them have been sent home on forced leave.
Lawmakers questioned the government's claim of democracy and supremacy of the constitution when 'even teachers of primary schools were being deprived of their constitutional right'.
MMA leader Liaquat Baloch raised the issue of arrest of Jamaat-ud-Dawa head Hafiz Saeed and wanted to know the cause of his missing.
Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) MNA Rauf Mengal wanted to debate on an adjournment about the arrest of two brothers of Senator Sanaullah Baloch and a brother and cousin of another nationalist, Senator Shahid Bugti. He alleged they were picked up by the agencies.
The chair did not allow the motion, saying the Senate had already taken up the matter. However, he allowed Mengal to say anything more if he wanted to. The MNA asked the government to produce them in courts if they had committed any wrong.
MMA's Hafiz Hussain Ahmed also wanted the government to make a detailed statement on the matter, as many political leaders and activists had been missing or confined without registration of any FIR.