NA proceedings again fall victim to walkout

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 ISLAMABAD: The first day of the new National Assembly session was marred by the usual opposition walk out – almost in synchronisation this day too -- but on different and distinct issues of their choice. 

Unlike Panama case related agitation, the two main opposition parties – PPP and PTI – are adopting a cautious pick and choose policy on issues inside Parliament as they painstakingly focus on elections 2018. MQM, JI and the rest followed the suit. So the level of agitation naturally varied from issue to issue. Some less important issues get full throttle political attention, and hence, unlimited rhetoric grips the whole atmosphere. More sensitive issues get sidelined – not a single word on Pak-India latest war of words on Indian spy Kalbhushan issue. Everyone has almost forgotten the reservations put forth by the PPP and nationalists over the ongoing census. And all of them have obediently gone silent on the Saudi-led coalition issue. Then there are governance blues in Sindh, and the rising power outages as the summer is about to peak and many more. 

A calling attention notice on loadshedding lapsed on Wednesday as all the PPP was busy in agitation and walk out to save Zardari’s missing cronies. This is the Lower House of Parliament, more powerful, directly elected. More indulged in rhetoric than substance. We hear some issues often discussed threadbare in the Upper House, compelling top ministers to respond without much ado. The Lower House is engulfed in agitation mode since eruption of PanamaLeaks, last April. And the agitation streak is continuing unabated. On Wednesday too, PPP went furious over the missing Zardari aides. They announced a prolonged agitation, threatening to disrupt proceedings of the House and eventually laying a siege to Speaker’s dice if the issue was not resolved amicably. PTI, JI, ANP agitated on the issue of CNICs blockage as they claim Pukhtun community in Punjab and Sindh was directly affected by it. So when Asfandyar Wali’s ANP, having at last risen from a deep slumber, tries to take some political advantage on the issue by setting up an agitation camp just outside Parliament building, PTI and JI have to fall in line. And the PML-N allies like Achakzai and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, having distinct and strong pockets in Pukhtun areas of Balochistan and KP, have to be sympathetic to the cause as well. Overwhelmed by the whole euphoria of events, no one seemed eager to listen to untimely crooning of Deputy Speaker Mr Abbasi who was taking pains while explaining how efficiently a parliamentary committee under his chair had almost solved the issue. And now it was a matter of days not weeks to settle the things. But the opposition lot seemed adamant on their stance. Staying put at the lobby, no one returned after staging a walkout. MQM-Pakistan was however an exception. That gave ample and rare opportunity to the deputy speaker to get on with the business at hand, making full use of the complete quorum advantage, rarely enjoyed by the treasury in recent weeks and months. Everyone was surprised as the opposition lot pointed out quorum as soon as they walked out. Finding 91 legislators present, nothing much could be done by the opposition but to stay put in the lobby, and indulge in chit-chat. Unlike its rival -- PTI which is impatiently waiting for Panama case verdict of the apex court, PPP is feeling cornered, almost in the eye of a looming political-cum-administrative storm of its own making. And adapting to a mob, there is cult psyche as a knee jerk reaction. All of them want to be taken into custody, even court arrest -- important leaders, even Sindh ministers too -- as three close (personal) aides of former president Asif Zardari go missing -- naturally in safe hands though. As they rightly demand due process of law to be invoked in the case at hand, the political connotations of the whole episode is being interpreted in a different, peculiar manner. PPP walas, tend to believe that the recent overtures of Zardari sahib to win over electable candidates from across the country, is being put to a grinding halted, psychologically. Some powerful quarters even want him to go abroad for an indefinite period this time around. All this at a time when the defacto PPP head was trying to paint a post-2018 hung Parliament of sort scenario, trying to pitch PPP as a future kingmaker in case both PML-N and PTI fail to put up a simple majority.

The whole effort revolves around getting to the magical figure of 60 plus National Assembly legislators, close aides of Zardari sahib divulge discreetly. That means 40-plus from the Sindh province, 15-20 from the whole of Punjab (especially South) and 5 odd from the two provinces of KP and Balochistan combined. This is what PPP is aiming at in the 2018 elections. With this low aim, what actually they are going to get is any body’s guess. And that too at a time when their Sindh government is in governance mess, and the ongoing party re-organisation is not able to infuse enthusiasm, much needed energy in the rank and file. In Punjab too, Kaira-Chan duo are more inclined to appear in television talk shows than actually making it to the district-tehsils lying in their domain. But even when they criticise the Sharif-led central government with full force, they are short, very short of arguments to defend the Sindh government in clutches of lethargic and happy-go-lucky feudals. The party setup there is not bothered about 2018 as they are sure of a repeat elections 2013 performance, even better as PTI and PML-N lack homework in that province. Not anymore. Like it or not. Unseen, unknown political and administrative hurdles are there to greet the PPP in the days to come. Let the blame game begin.