The government suffered a number of defeats just as the National Assembly’s winter session started on Monday – the main opposition party blocked a bill and one of its estranged allies refused to rejoin the ruling coalition.
The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) formally requested that its members be allotted seats on the opposition benches both in the National Assembly and the Senate despite efforts by several government functionaries to bring them around. JUI-F Secretary General Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri submitted the requests.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman last week announced that his party was quitting the ruling alliance after three years of partnership with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
The latest move appeared to be suggesting he won’t reconsider his plans to quit the ruling coalition.
Meanwhile, objections raised by the main opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) forced the government to defer a bill, seeking to amend rules for registering documents.
Leader of the opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan warned the government that it would face similar defeats if it did not improve its approach regarding adoption of legislation.
The government, he said, did not bother about taking opposition members into confidence before tabling the bill in the lower house of parliament, adding that things would no longer be run in this manner.
Earlier, Interior Minister Rehman Malik proposed that the government should frame rules to regulate interaction of parliamentarians and politicians with foreign diplomats stationed in Islamabad. This, the minister added, would help avoid embarrassment in the future.
He was responding to a point of order raised by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, criticising a weekend statement by US Ambassador Cameron Munter in which he said that Washington wanted the administration in Islamabad to reform the country’s taxation system.
Malik said the detected quantum of corruption in Hajj arrangements amounted to Rs36 million.
He said that on the directives of the interior ministry, several accused, including former DG Hajj Rao Shakeel had been arrested and investigation was under way, details of which would be provided to the parliament soon. The 19th constitutional amendment would be tabled in the National Assembly when it meets again on Tuesday afternoon.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2010.
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