The National Assembly and Senate sessions on Monday were unexpectedly mild as political rivals preferred not to use the floors of both houses of parliament for levelling allegations against each other, observing a surprising restraint.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) did not respond to ‘half-hearted’ calls in the National Assembly to explain its position regarding allegations hurled by former Sindh Minister Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza against its chief Altaf Hussain.
In a way, the MQM appeared to be emulating the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) which had maintained a distance right from the day the controversy was triggered by Mirza, allowing other political entities to fight it out among themselves.
Journalists remained unaware of a major chunk of the National Assembly session on Monday evening as they staged a boycott against the alleged manhandling of some of their colleagues by security agencies and the sacking of a senior anchorperson by his media house.
The session, which was scheduled to continue throughout this month, was prorogued apparently to let legislators take part in flood relief activities in their constituencies in Sindh and southern Punjab.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) opposed the move to adjourn the session, saying parliament would have been a better platform to discuss the miseries of flood-hit people and finding solutions to other problems, including a seemingly unending spree of bloodshed in Karachi.
A couple of PML-N lawmakers, including the Leader of the Opposition, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, accused the government of shirking away from a parliamentary debate on burning issues like allegations against Altaf Hussain.
Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, who is Zulfiqar Mirza’s wife, did not chair the session. Unsubstantiated reports emerged recently that she might quit her post. Chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman insisted that Zulfiqar Mirza’s revelations should not be swept under the carpet. He said that there should be a thorough investigation into his allegations.
However, no MQM lawmaker responded to his point, apparently in line with the MQM’s policy of not saying anything about Mirza’s allegations.
MQM’s Deputy Parliamentary Leader Haider Abass Rizvi denied his party’s involvement in the murder of a journalist last year, besides clarifying that the anchorperson’s sacking on the night of Altaf Hussain’s video conference had nothing to do with the MQM.
A couple of lawmakers from tribal areas urged the government to take serious steps to secure the release of 30 boys from Bajaur who had been kidnapped by Pakistani Taliban allegedly hiding in Afghanistan’s Kunar province.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2011.
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Let the bold people speak truth but little truth is 'neem hakeem khatra-e-jan'. Don't make laws to shut the mouth up of those who are enough bold to tell the facts..