Ruckus and defiance

The session of the provincial assembly was full of fireworks, without an iota of cultured behaviour from either side

It was a day of shame at the Punjab Assembly. Decency and norms of democracy were thrown to the wind, and pandemonium was the order of the day. The roughing up of Speaker Pervez Elahi and Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari and their manhandling on the floor of the house was disgusting — something that goes on to establish how intolerance has crept in our midst. To read between the lines, what took place on the floor of the house day long was Newton’s third law of force: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The session of the provincial assembly was full of fireworks, and there wasn’t an iota of cultured behaviour from either side. While the house met on the directives of the Lahore High Court to elect the new chief minister, it was swept away under emotions of extreme polarisation. The intentions of the government and its supporters — who were backing Chaudhry Pervez Elahi for the leader of the house — were clear from the word go. They did not want the voting session to be presided over by Deputy Speaker Mazari who happened to have crossed swords with the ruling elite, even though he had a mandate from the court of law to conduct the business of the day. Similarly, the pro-Hamza Shehbaz camp now had the bureaucracy on its side by virtue of PML-N’s government in the Federation. No wonder it was a free for all show.

Defiance, nonetheless, ruled the roost as the deputy speaker called in police inside the house, in an attempt to depute them as sergeants at arms. This was an unprecedented move, and happened for the first time even in the parliamentary history of the subcontinent. It just proved how volatile the political environment is after weeks of simmering unrest. There were also reports of legislators, including women, being arrested and taken away. The house also witnessed scenes of scuffles throughout the day between the legislators, and the anti-riot policemen in white helmets. The nation was on tenterhooks as it witnessed it live on telecast. This nail-biting unnerving situation simply made it clear that the vote for the new leader of the house is ages away in normalcy, and some out-of-the-box intervention is indispensable.

‘Lota’ was the buzzword, and its display for fun on the floor was unpalatable. The ruckus is worth a study, and confirms that dialogue has taken a backseat, and elected representatives are far away from Westminster decorum. Difference of opinion is the beauty of democracy, but this phenomenon has become an anathema in our parliamentary way of governance. The house met at the drop of the hat as if it’s a scene from an act of Charles Dickens. The fiction was evident. Pervez Elahi was hurt and had returned to his chamber. Likewise the PTI and PML-Q members called it a day of boycott. Standing from the gallery, the deputy speaker conducted the vote and Hamza Shehbaz was elected as the chief minister of Punjab.

The procedural business may be over, but it has set in deep-rooted anguish. Governance in the biggest province of Punjab will not be a piece of cake, as opposition contemplates its next move. The need of the hour is a détente and a unanimous understanding to let the system go on.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2022.

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