The National Assembly approved the Finance Bill on Sunday, and along with the provision for 29 Supreme Court Judges. After this, the stage has now been reached for the passage of the annual budget, and it is expected this would be done today (Monday)
Surely two or three fiery members can make a difference but there is no chance of an apple cart being upset. With overwhelming 289 members on its side, there is no possibility of the budget being turned down.
Moreover, both sides (treasury and opposition) stand to gain in terms of remuneration (up 20 per cent from first July) as well as millions of Public Works Programme money. This government has promised that the opposition would receive the same amount as the government party members would.
Be that as it may, we have not been able to understand the attitude of PML-N members on the proposal to make financial provision for 29 judges (of the Supreme Court).
A day earlier we had occasion to listen to leader Nawaz Sharif reiterating his position on this subject and also about the notice on the impeachment of the President, he has promised to introduce in the Assembly.
This scribe discussed this matter on Saturday with PML-N Member former Justice Iftikhar Ahmad Cheema when he was found busy in studying law books in the Assembly library.(The Library has 7,500 books).
Former Judge Iftikhar could not table a cut motion since he is a member of the coalition government. Yet he was certain that his party would express reservations. No stalwart of his party made a serious attempt to do so when the clause was moved on Sunday. It fell to the lot of our friend Ayaz Amir to make a mild protest, that the government had transgressed on the Constitution and it could make a mockery of the Constitution and the judiciary and do this through the Finance Bill.
Ayaz Amir received a taunt in reply from Finance Minister Syed Naved Qamar, who said:'Ishaque Dar, the former Finance Minister has prepared this draft [Finance Bill]'
Ayaz Amir tried a repartee, 'If Dar has prepared the draft, and it is you, Finance minister, who presented the Finance Bill in the Assembly.' But his voice was drowned, since his mike was shut, and he was ordered to sit down.
In addition, Finance Minister Qamar took credit for approval of 67 out of 75 recommendations passed by the Senate. 'For the first time ever this National Assembly' has stepped forward to recognise the legitimate role of the province in having a say in the financial affairs of the federation, in the spirit of the Constitution.
It needs mention that former premier Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto created the bicameral House in the 1973 Constitution, and now the same provision has been implemented in earnest by the PPP government.
However, the Senate's wish to vote financial appropriations still remains unfulfilled. As we wrote earlier, such step would be outside the scope of Westminster system of parliamentary government where all money bills are processed in the Lower House.
A lot of time was spent this morning to express the legislature's concern on the kidnapping of 16 minority (and one Muslim) citizens at Peshawar last (Saturday) evening.
Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian Member, in his perception tried to assure Members that the matter had been resolved after he approached the Advisor for Interior, Rahman Malik, who then acted swiftly on his complaint.
This intervention failed to satisfy Salik Masih Gill, or Manohar Lal. The latter painted a woeful picture of 40 forced conversions that had happened in Sindh during the last months. The former also asserted that persecution of Christians, Sikhs or other minorities painted a wrong image of Pakistan.
Ever present in the house, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani became perturbed over these reports, and rose to assure the [minority] community that as brother citizens they were entitled to full protection of the state and they must get it. 'I do not know which side minority members belong to for I treat them as my equals.' Once again he tried to assure them that the financial allocation for their Ministry has been doubled and there would be no breach in the five per cent quota which has been reserved for their employment.
Might we add that since taking over as the Prime Minister, and in consonance with the tradition of the House of Commons, he makes official pronouncements inside the House?
And, since the set of Speaker and Deputy Speaker is new to the job the Prime Minister tries to help them in conducting business inside the House.
We may mention here that since 1970s, Tridiv Rai has been pressing succeeding governments, past and present, to establish a Commission to look into the problem of Pakistan Minorities but his efforts have received official blessings. Tridiv Rai, from the erstwhile East Pakistan, was appointed Federal Minister by ZAB, and still retains the status of a distinguished personality with the rank of Federal Minister. Yet he has no specific portfolio.
A minor tiff occurred this morning between Bushra Rahman, the writer lady Member, with suitable poetry quotations for all occasions. This morning she complained that the Deputy Speaker snubs them whenever some one stands up to speak from the Opposition Benches.
Speaker Fehmida Mirza came to the Deputy Speaker's rescue, and assured Bushra to go on speaking as long as the speech related to the Financial Bill.
Obviously, Bushra was not prepared, and sat down, quoting a line from poet Ghalib: Har baat pa tum kahte ho, key tu kiya hai/Tum hi batao eh andaaz guftugu kiya hai (You repeat the question each time, who am I/Is it proper in manner to ask this time and again).