PML-Q’s ladies’ brigade

Many a times, during last four years, the PML ladies’ brigade has held treasury and House hostage to their whims.

The Punjab Assembly has been in session for four days. The total strength of the House is 371. 93 members are required to be present in order to conduct the session, according to assembly rules. PML-N has 171 members. If you add the 30 seats reserved for women and 47 members of the so-called Unification Bloc, the strength of the treasury bench comes to 248.

And yet proceedings have been disrupted six times when quorum was pointed out. Such is the apathy of the members towards the House business. On the very first day, when all the members are expected to show up, the session was adjourned by Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood because the required number of members were not present. On Thursday when quorum was pointed out by PML-Q’s Seemal Kamran, Opposition members remained in the hall to humiliate the treasury. The bells were rung and enough members came to the chamber for the proceedings to resume. However, as soon as the count had been taken there was a queue in front of the exit. The second time, another PML-Q member Khadija Omar pointed out the quorum. The chair was not amused by the PML-Q’s all-girl band, holding up the proceedings.

Many a times, during the last four years, the PML ladies’ brigade of Samina Khawer Hyat, Seemal Kamran, Khadija Omar, Samia Amjad and Amna Ulfat has held the treasury and the House hostage to their whims. Law Minister Rana Sanaullah fielded whatever the ladies threw at him for quite some time. During the budget session he even formed and coached a ladies’ brigade of his own – comprising members Sakina Shaheen and Ghazala Rana – who tried to match the ‘oppositon’, blow for blow. However, that only enhanced the audacity of the ladies’ brigade. The Treasury finally learnt not to mess with this group.

Bu credit must be given where it is due. Between them, these ladies have the largest number of motions, adjournment motions, call attention notices, amendments to bills and private bills.

The PML-Q team, that also includes Mohsin Leghari, a close relative of former president Farooq Leghari, has always come prepared. Their participation in the business advisory committee also ensures that the committees take their work seriously. Everyone else, belonging to either other fellow Opposition members or Treasury benches, is way behind.

Coming back to the apathy of the provincial legislators: members, barring a few, simply do not take any interest in proceedings of the House. Even the attendance system introduced by the Treasury has failed to ensure members’ attendance. The members come, mark their attendance and then retire to their getaway holes at the assembly building; chatting, sipping coffee and waiting for ministers so that the business they bring from their constituencies could be dispensed with.

Perhaps one of the reasons the legislators give assembly business a thumbs down is that they feel that the House has become no better than a debating society where good debates are a rarity.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2011.