Faisalabad’s three musketeers
The vibrant city is also carving out an increasingly significant place in national politics.
Faisalabad has long been an economic powerhouse of the country. Home to some six million people, mostly agriculture and textile industry labour, the vibrant city is also carving out an increasingly significant place in national politics. In the recent past, figures from the city like Hamid Sarfraz, Nadir Pervez, Chaudhry Sher Ali, Afzal Sahi and Chaudhry Nazir have risen to prominence on the floors of the national and provincial assemblies.
But the way representatives from the city currently dominate the Punjab Assembly is unprecedented.
The leaders of each of the three major groups in the assembly – Rana Sanullah of the PML-N, Raja Riaz of the PPP and Chaudhry Zaheeruddin of the PML-Q – are all from Faisalabad.
Law Minister Sanaullah, by demand of his portfolio, is the undisputed PML-N powerhouse when it comes to the assembly.
He plays the lone warrior both inside and outside the assembly, suggesting perhaps that there is no serious competition within the party for the job. He is not one to mince his words and answers everything thrown at him. The habit has served him well (I am not so sure about his party), as evident by his increasing appearances on prime-time television.
Yesterday, the visibly edgy law minister rose to read a resolution on Balochistan which very few saw coming. The agenda was crammed with 25 pieces of legislation as well as debates on sugarcane farmers and the fertiliser shortage. Instead, Sanaullah brought up a resolution that stemmed from the December 20 meeting between Baloch Sardar Ataullah Mengal and Nawaz Sharif.
First off, the troubles in Balochistan are a national issue and the National Assembly and Senate are the correct forums for it. It’s hard to imagine the Punjab Assembly achieving anything by pushing this resolution of solidarity with Balochistan. In any case, the resolution could not be passed unanimously due to opposition disagreements.
Chaudhry Zaheer said that he did not agree with the resolution since the Baloch Sardars were against the Pakistan Army. The PPP opposed it because the federal government had already launched the Aghaz-i-Haqooq-i-Balochistan initiative led by the prime minister.
Zaheer, who was born in Gurdaspur some 66 years ago, showed his true Q League colours. His loud and clear defence of the armed forces in Balochistan was out of place, but ever since Riaz replaced him as leader of the opposition, Zaheer has been looking for a ‘reasonable’ place to sit and a ‘reasonable’ point to take a stand on. Yesterday was his chance and he pounced on it.
Raja Riaz is the most colourful of the Faisalabadi trio. He speaks like a true son of the soil, mixing choice English words with Urdu in an unmistakable Faisalabadi accent. His almost daily press conferences at the assembly foyer are usually the most attended among journalists. He always reserves special words in praise of his leaders, who included Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif until March 2010, when the PPP withdrew from the coalition with the PML-N. Some suggest it was the chief minister who inspired him to get his expensive hair transplant. Sadly, he was conspicuous by his absence yesterday, otherwise he would have given the law minister a good run for his money on the Balochistan issue.
*****
Rumour has it that in view of complaints by PML-Q members that they have not received any development money for their constituencies from the Punjab government, PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has announced large development grants for his party’s Punjab MPAs, like the prime minister did for PPP MPAs. Alas the party’s most vocal flag-bearers in the House, a famous quartet of ladies, were not included in this. That’s why they say politics is a cruel and mindless game.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2011.
But the way representatives from the city currently dominate the Punjab Assembly is unprecedented.
The leaders of each of the three major groups in the assembly – Rana Sanullah of the PML-N, Raja Riaz of the PPP and Chaudhry Zaheeruddin of the PML-Q – are all from Faisalabad.
Law Minister Sanaullah, by demand of his portfolio, is the undisputed PML-N powerhouse when it comes to the assembly.
He plays the lone warrior both inside and outside the assembly, suggesting perhaps that there is no serious competition within the party for the job. He is not one to mince his words and answers everything thrown at him. The habit has served him well (I am not so sure about his party), as evident by his increasing appearances on prime-time television.
Yesterday, the visibly edgy law minister rose to read a resolution on Balochistan which very few saw coming. The agenda was crammed with 25 pieces of legislation as well as debates on sugarcane farmers and the fertiliser shortage. Instead, Sanaullah brought up a resolution that stemmed from the December 20 meeting between Baloch Sardar Ataullah Mengal and Nawaz Sharif.
First off, the troubles in Balochistan are a national issue and the National Assembly and Senate are the correct forums for it. It’s hard to imagine the Punjab Assembly achieving anything by pushing this resolution of solidarity with Balochistan. In any case, the resolution could not be passed unanimously due to opposition disagreements.
Chaudhry Zaheer said that he did not agree with the resolution since the Baloch Sardars were against the Pakistan Army. The PPP opposed it because the federal government had already launched the Aghaz-i-Haqooq-i-Balochistan initiative led by the prime minister.
Zaheer, who was born in Gurdaspur some 66 years ago, showed his true Q League colours. His loud and clear defence of the armed forces in Balochistan was out of place, but ever since Riaz replaced him as leader of the opposition, Zaheer has been looking for a ‘reasonable’ place to sit and a ‘reasonable’ point to take a stand on. Yesterday was his chance and he pounced on it.
Raja Riaz is the most colourful of the Faisalabadi trio. He speaks like a true son of the soil, mixing choice English words with Urdu in an unmistakable Faisalabadi accent. His almost daily press conferences at the assembly foyer are usually the most attended among journalists. He always reserves special words in praise of his leaders, who included Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif until March 2010, when the PPP withdrew from the coalition with the PML-N. Some suggest it was the chief minister who inspired him to get his expensive hair transplant. Sadly, he was conspicuous by his absence yesterday, otherwise he would have given the law minister a good run for his money on the Balochistan issue.
*****
Rumour has it that in view of complaints by PML-Q members that they have not received any development money for their constituencies from the Punjab government, PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has announced large development grants for his party’s Punjab MPAs, like the prime minister did for PPP MPAs. Alas the party’s most vocal flag-bearers in the House, a famous quartet of ladies, were not included in this. That’s why they say politics is a cruel and mindless game.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2011.