Treasury faces defeat in Pakistan's National Assembly
By Attaul Mohsin Syed - Pakistan Times Staff Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday was defeated in National Assembly during vote count on a treasury motion despite the speaker’s efforts to buy the treasury time to muster up necessary support.

National Assembly Speaker Chaudhary Amir Hussain’s best efforts to bring treasury members to the house failed to save the government benches from a clear defeat, as 81 opposition members opposed the bill to condone the delay in presentation of a standing committee report against treasury’s 78 members.

In an another first for this government, the treasury MNA from Shorkot, Saima Akhtar Bharwana voted against the government motion, a move which she later described was the voice of her conscience.

National Assembly sources say that the amendment in Decorations Bill is pertaining to the withdrawal of national awards from the convicted persons and heroes.

The troubles of the government began when the Cabinet Standing Committee Chairman Ahmad Raza Maneka came up with a motion asking the house to condone the delay in presentation of the committee report on the Decorations (amendment) Bill, 2005.

It was the time when the treasury was quite visibly lesser in number in the house as compared to the opposition but Deputy Speaker Sardar Yaqoob, who was chairing the proceedings, declared the motion passed after conducting a voice vote.

Challenge by Opposition

The opposition however, challenged the Deputy Speaker’s decision and demanded a vote count on the motion. At that time there were 73 opposition member present in the house while the number of treasury members was 48.

The house witnessed uproar and pandemonium on the occasion and Speaker Ch. Amir Hussain had to come back to chair the proceedings.

The members from opposition benches continued to demand vote count but the Speaker started buying time for the government by giving floor to various members.

Meanwhile, treasury Chief Whip Nasrullah Dareshak made desperate attempts to gather maximum members in the house so that majority could be achieved in the house.

Some members were reportedly brought in the house from parliament lodges while the other were called back from a seminar held in the memory of former Prime Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo.

Kashmala Tariq, Farooq Sattar and a number of other members came to the house after around 20 minutes, while Riaz Fatiyana continued to speak on a point of order to gain maximum time.

The speech of Riaz Fatyana covered all issues the country was faced with ranging from price hike to growing number of suicides. It was clear that he wanted to give treasury maximum time to bring all MNAs in the house.

The Speaker was keen to listen Fatyana’s irrelevant speech despite the oppositions growing demand to conduct a voice count.

Mir Zafarullah Jamali

The things turned worst for the government when the Speaker gave the floor to former Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali.

Jamali asked the Speaker to look into the opposition’s demand if it was genuine. Opposition outnumbering the government was a part of the proceedings, he said.

The former leader of the house also asked the opposition to show generosity and let the government save its face.

The opposition welcomed Jamali’s idea and asked the speaker to count votes. At last Ch Amir Hussain decided to put the motion before the house after around 35 minutes of opposition’s strong protest.

He declared government victorious after voice voting on the motion despite the fact that opposition’s voice was louder than that of the treasury.However, the Speaker directed for counting of votes when opposition challenged his decision.

Process of Voting

On voting, the government faced defeat, as its motion could bag 78 votes in its favour while 81 votes (including one of treasury’s Saima Akhtar Bharwana) went against the motion.

The Speaker adjourned the house for 15 minutes immediately after announcing the opposition’s victory and convened a meeting of House Business Advisory Committee in his chamber.

It was decided in meeting of advisory committee that the rest of the agenda items would not be take-up on Wednesday’s to avoid another defeat of government.

The house proceedings started after 15 minutes of break and the National Assembly resumed debate on an adjournment motion moved by opposition on the raise in petroleum prices.

The treasury MNA Saima became the hero of opposition as she voted in its favour.

The lady members of ARD and MMA encircled her seat and congratulated her along with PML [N] Parliamentary leader Ch Nisar Ali Khan.

Talking to the newsmen on the occasion, Saima Akhtar said she voted against the government on the voice of her conscience. “I had won my seat in the general elections as an independent candidate so I will continue to follow voice of my conscience in future too,” she said.

She was angry over the delaying tactics made by treasury saying that an hour of house costs Rs 4 million to national exchequer. Saima said there were 60 cabinet members under Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and still government failed to prove its majority in the house. “The Ministers should be directed to ensure their presence in the house,” she said.

First Time in History

The treasury MNA said she had joined PML with a vision but it could not be fulfilled. Ch Nisar said it was for the first time in the history of Pakistan that a sitting government failed to prove its majority in the house despite postponement of the voting for 35 minutes.

“Now with this defeat we can go a step forward to say that the current dispensation does not enjoy the support of the people of Pakistan as well the support of its own parliamentary party” he said.

Earlier, the Speaker referred the privilege motions about the problems created by rehearsal of the Pakistan Day Parade, moved by opposition MNAs to relevant standing committee.

Syed Naveed Qamar, Aitzaz Ahsan, Syed Khursheed Shah, Nayyar Bukhari, Fehmida Mirza and others moved privilege motions in the house saying that they could not reach the National Assembly as the roads leading to the Parliament House were blocked due to rehearsal of the Pakistan Day Parade.

Interestingly, the treasury MNA Riaz Pirzada also joined opposition on this matter and said that the rehearsal was creating great trouble for the people, particularly the students having annual examinations. “I have also been stopped at Secretariat Check-Post,” he said adding that he also wanted to move the motion.

In a similar privilege motion, Farid Paracha said that the roads in front of the Parliament Lodges were also blocked.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Sher Afgan Khan Niazi said that if the members were coming to the National Assembly session, they should not be hindered in any way.

Token Walk Out

On the occasion PML-N’s Tehmina Doltana and MMA’s Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri were not allowed to speak on the matter upon which the parties of both members staged a token walk out from the house.

However, PPP-P, which is also a part of ARD did not join its alliance partner PML-N in the walkout. The house also offered Fateha over the sad demise of MNA Maulana Rehmatullah who died in Karachi on Monday evening.

Responding to a calling attention notice moved by Riaz Fatyana, Amjad Warraich, Safdar Shakir, Safdar Imtiaz Warraich and Akhtar Kanjoo, the Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jotoi informed the national assembly that the country had a surplus of 2900 MW of electricity and there was no need to import power.

He said there was no ban on power connections for tube wells but added that he would request the Prime Minister to consider grant of subsidy to agricultural tube wells. Jatoi informed the house that work on Neelum-Jehlum Hydropower Project would begin in July 2005.

The Minister said Faisalabad Electricity Supply Company (FESCO) had not imposed any ban on the connections of agricultural tube wells and the connections were available.

He said 1187 agricultural tube wells were approved last year under FESCO and 843 power connections have been granted in eight months of this year.

The Minister of State Hamid Yar Hiraj admitted before the house that quota of other provinces and FATA was ignored during appointments of 19 steno-typists from Punjab during 2003.

However, he said the government had decided to make the future appointments from the areas that had been ignored previously.

The Calling Attention Notice was moved by Syed Naveed Qamar, Khusrshid Shah, Nawab Yosuf Talpur, Mir Hazar Bijarani and Raja Pervez Ashraf.

Aga Khan Board

The issue of Aga Khan Board sparked uproar in National Assembly Wednesday and subsequent walkout by MMA and PML [N] when the Parliamentary Secretary for Education allegedly passed on false information that AKB had not circulated questionnaire vis-à-vis sex education in its affiliated institutes.

“Parha Likkha Punjab (Literate Punjab),” a slogan of provincial government that promises heavy incentives including scholarships to school-goers, also came under criticism with treasury and opposition as they complained that not a single penny has been spent in their constituencies on school buildings and teachers.

They called the Punjab Government slogan as hollow and the project as ‘mere looting tactic’ and demanded of the Federal Education Department to keep a strict check on the provincial government to stop it from befooling the people through advertisements.

The Wednesday ‘Question Hour’ largely focused the educational issues. The situation worsened when answering the query of PML-N legislator Kh. Saad Rafique, Parliamentary Secretary for Educatin Jaafar said that objectionable questionnaire containing sex-related questions was circulated in educational institutions by Aga Khan Foundation and not by Aga Khan Board (AKB).

He said soon after it came into the notice of government, it ceased the circulation of this objectionable questionnaire with a warning note to the AKF.

The MMA leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, who waved the questionnaire before the House, said it was circulated by AKB, adding Jaafar’s claim is totally false and baseless. He announced a token walkout of the session. The PML-N legislators also joined them.

Earlier, Jaafar informed the House that present examination system is based on ‘Ratta’ (cramming) that reduces the dignity of students. That is why the educational institutions have been allowed to affiliate with AKB having worldwide recognition, he added.

He said the government has no plan to affiliate its all institutes with the AKB. However, those aspiring for that can do it after permission from the government.

MMA’s Dr. Farid Paracha said that Jaafar statement in itself is a confession that government has failed to bring about healthy changes in its examination system.

Later, the government and treasury members belonging to Punjab, criticized the provincial government slogan “Parha Likkha Punjab’ and said the government is wasting millions and billions of rupees on its advertisement as nothing has been done practically.

The PPPP legislator from Rawalpinid, Zamurad Khan said that there are more than 19 schools in his constituency which lack everything needed for proper functioning that ranges from shortage of teachers to buildings and furniture.

He said despite watching the ad in media, they have found nothing in concrete. He alleged Punjab government is just looting money through this scheme.

The Chief of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf Imran Khan said that more than half of the schools located in his Mianwali constituency, are lying closed and that not a single penny has been given as was promised by the Punjab government for school-going children for their books and pocket.

The PPP-P legislator from Lahore, Samina Ghurki said the schools located in her constituency are falling short of furniture and the provincial government so far has done nothing except spending money on advertisements.

The treasury legislator from Bahawalpur Riaz Pirzada said that there is nothing on ground as no fund has been released for the students and the construction of schools.

Instead of doing anything in this regard the Chief Minister Punjab and Governor have locked horn over the appointments of Vice Chancellors in Islamia University Bahawalpur and Bahauddin Zakria University, Multan.

“Mere through acting on TV by appearing in ads, Punjab cannot become literate,” he said pointing out towards CM Punjab who appears in ad to urge the people to send their kids to school.

During the Question Hour the House was informed that literacy rate has shot up to 54 per cent during 2003-04 as compared to 51.6 per cent in year 2002-03.●