The Senate in action

I admire Mian Raza Rabbani, the constitutional lawyer and generalissimo of the gilded club known as the Senate, or Upper House of Parliament. He comes across as a Progressive (used in the British rather than the American sense.) Actually he is a nationalist and a left-winger. He plods away quietly, shunning social gaucherie, and is trying to bring back a sense of decency, fair play and civilisation to the eloquently depressing country where sentimentality is a maligned emotion. He is among the precious few who realised the danger to the national fabric is not only the various terrorist organisations, but the mindset of the bigoted Pakistani male who has been brainwashed by illiterate Maulvis who teach them to treat the women folk in their family as totally inferior specimens of homo sapiens that can be treated brutally . On the anvil are two legal issues that blow a raspberry in the face of the clergy. The first questions the role of the Council of Islamic Ideology that issues edits that instructs men to — gently beat their wives. And the second is declaring honour killing murder punishable by hanging. Even if it is passed, which is highly unlikely, it is doubtful if it would be implemented due to the reluctance and corruption of the police.

Now I don’t want to sound facetious; while I share the grief of the families of the victims of the terrorist attacks of the militants in Brussels, Paris, Nice, Dallas and Baton Rouge with their elaborately knotted twists; the reporting on which dragged on for a considerable time on the two international English-language news channels; the frequent terrorist attacks and blasts that take place in different parts of Pakistan often go unreported abroad. Oh yes there was a note in The New York Times about the Balochi brother who murdered his sister because he felt that the high profile media role that she had chosen brought dishonour to his family and the tribal culture.



I can’t remember when I last watched a parliament session in Islamabad which was televised. When it did take place I spotted a couple of MNAs actually napping while some appeared to be gazing at the ceiling, bored, listless without little involvement or sense of commitment. There was one man who represented some place I had never heard of who had a voice like a complete brass band. I don’t remember if he was registering a complaint or making a suggestion. I fell asleep when the statistician started to read a whole lot of figures about the decline in the production of cotton. The prime minister is still holding the fort. His supporters revolve around him hoping he will continue to hold the bridge like Horatius, Herminius and Spurious Lartius. But in spite of the fact that he has brought a certain hauteur to his position, his detractors who once had a grudging fondness for him now are expressing a pillow biting fury, are hoping the army will take over and have posted the portrait of General Raheel Sharif all over the place. The army, however, has distanced itself from these posters. They are upholding the Constitution and have no intention to remove the democratic system. Of late, Imran Khan commented in front of a dozen media microphones that he preferred being married rather than being a bachelor. A lot of hearts beat faster. Then he said that he had no plans to get hitched. But as Scarlett O’Hara said in Gone with the Wind, “Tomorrow is another day.” Besides, there is still the long march. This time with lavatories for the women.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2016.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.