‘Wise’ Ahsan can’t do much for federal govt: Sanaullah

‘PML-N joker’ not in his right mind: Basra.

LAHORE: Counsel for Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan on Wednesday was paid tributes by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, even though the PML-N and the PPP continued to spar a day before the PM’s scheduled appearance in the Supreme Court.

Rana Sanaullah, the Punjab law minister, used the pre-session briefing at the Punjab Assembly (PA) cafeteria to attack the federal government. He held Babar Awan responsible for bringing things to where they are now. However, he had nothing but praise for the new counsel, “By appointing Aitzaz Ahsan the federal government has taken a wise decision for the first time in four years,” Sanaullah said. He called Ahsan “wise and an intellectual” but added that though Ahsan might be able to buy the government only a little time, “[the government’s] time is up”.

Continuing his scathing critique of Awan, Sanaullah suggested amendments to a poem Awan had recited when the Supreme Court served him a contempt notice.

“Awan should say ‘Notice milea te kakh ve palle na bachiaya, main dardi rab rab karan te lakh vari tobah tobah karan’,” Sanaullah quipped.

Awan, who relinquished law ministry to represent the federation in the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto reference case, had said: “Notice milea kakh na hilia, ke sohnya da gila kariye, main lakh vari bismillah karan”.

The law minister said that the PML-N’s was demanding early elections. He said the party will not support any unconstitutional step.

Meanwhile, PPP’s deputy parliamentary leader Shaukat Basra lashed out at Sanaullah’s for his statements against Babar Awan. “He should not have used such language,” Basra said, adding “when Rana speaks he is not in his right mind”. Basra called Sanaullah “PML-N’s joker”.

PPP’s parliamentary leader Zulfiqar Gondal said that the establishment had prompted PML-N to move the court over the memo controversy. “The jail is PPP workers’ second home. We are not afraid of going back to the barracks,” he said.

Gondal said that the president and prime minister had allowed party workers to go to court to show their solidarity but the workers had been told not to bring any banners and not to chant slogans.

He said that his party would continue to respect the courts.

Punjab Assembly session

During his pre-session briefing Sanaullah said the 33^rd session commencing from Thursday (today), and could run for four weeks.

In the coming session, Sanaullah said, 56 adjournment motions, 33 resolutions, 22 call attention notices and 20 departmental question hours are on the agenda. Sanaullah said that the 20 bills which Governor Latif Khosa returned to the house will be discussed again and sent for the governor’s approval. “If he does not sign them into within 10 days [of receipt], they will automatically become Acts.”

He said that 20 bills that had earlier been referred to standing committees might also be presented in the house.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2012.