National Assembly: Benazir’s a martyr, not ZAB, says PML-N MNA
The government has extended the ongoing National Assembly session to discuss grim economic challenges confronting Pakistan, building on Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s offer to the opposition to evolve a broad-based consensus on key issues.
Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi on Thursday announced the session would not be prorogued on Friday, as per the original schedule, and proceedings will resume on May 9 after a week-long interval.
Lawmakers will discuss, and come up with suggestions to resolve the burgeoning energy crisis, including the electricity and gas shortage, said Kundi, adding that other national issues might also be discussed.
The extension comes a day after Gilani invited the opposition, in his address to the National Assembly, to submit their recommendations to overcome the energy crisis, which will be accommodated in the national policy.
Gilani’s offer was in response to the Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s complaint that the government was not taking the house into confidence on important national matters, especially the confusion over Pakistan’s troubled relations with the United States.
Affiliations and divisions
Meanwhile, political parties’ past affiliations with military dictators and politics surrounding the key question of carving more provinces out of Punjab remained at the heart of proceedings when the house took up an impending debate on this year’s presidential address to the parliament.
The loudest of voice against the ‘division’ of Pakistan’s most populous province was of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Khawaja Saad Rafiq who said his party would never allow the creation of more federating units along linguistic or ethnic lines.
“Don’t make these factors basis for creating more provinces … you might get votes through this policy but Pakistan won’t be the beneficiary of this approach,” remarked Rafiq, adding that his party was otherwise not opposed to making more federating units along administrative lines.
Rafiq reminded a Pakistan Peoples Party member that their founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was once associated with former dictator Ayub Khan, and used this connection to climb the political ladder.
“Yes, we [the PML-N] do recognise Ms Benazir Bhutto as a Shaheed, but the same can’t be said about Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,” Rafiq said.
Earlier, Imtiaz Safdar Warriach of the PPP blamed the PML-N leadership for their longstanding association with the ex-military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq and asked the party to tender a collective apology, following their senior leader Javed Hashmi.
Hashmi told the house last week that he regretted serving as a cabinet minister during Zia’s regime.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2011.
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