PPP still in boycott, walkout mode

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ISLAMABAD: For the third day in a row, PPP is in a compulsory boycott, walkout mode in the National Assembly. 

And for the second day running, it found the treasury napping, and got the proceedings easily suspended due to lack of quorum – a sore point of PML-N’s parliamentary business that aggravated in year 2016. Enjoying 220-plus MPs strength in a house of 342, PML-N and allies shied away from a minimum 86 members required to maintain quorum. Around 56 legislators present in total (minus PPP) including that of PTI, MQM and the rest. 

As a result, the house business could not be taken up on Friday. For now, the number one task for the under pressure PPP legislators and office bearers – from Khyber to Karachi – is to press the Sharif-led government as hard as they can to compel them to use their leverage with more powerful yet invisible forces to come on record on the missing Zardari aides. 

All other issues, at this point of time, have become secondary in nature as former president Asif Ali Zardari is said to be very furious with the party men for not taking this stage-managed agitation to the next level. He wanted a three-pronged strategy to be unleashed – Sindh government, National Assembly and Senate fora were to act simultaneously -- to exert maximum pressure to produce the required results.

It worked in NA, and Sindh chief minister even crossed the line by threatening to occupy federal gas company in Karachi. But Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani was not ready to play ball at a time when everyone was supposed to stir up emotions and employ full fledge rhetoric in the wake of mini-crisis of sort in the upper echelons of PPP’s power circles that strangely revolved around missing aides of the former president. Perhaps, an annoying, taunting message from Bilawal House made him lose his cool over and diverted the pent up feelings towards non-presence of federal ministers in the Senate proceedings – a sore point of PML-N governance model. 

Despite weeks and months long frustratingly repeated assurances some high profile ministers don’t like to turn up in Parliament. Remember Rabbani mentioning centre-provinces tiff, aggravating these days. And complained Senate not being given due status in power equation. Hence the crisis at hand – likely to be resolved by PML-N’s economic Czar and all purpose trouble shooter, Senator Ishaq Dar. In fact, the Rabbani related crisis is not that alarming as propagated by some news headlines Friday afternoon. 

A calculated revolutionary in Raza Rabbani didn’t resign, but announced to put his fate in the hands of sympathetic and friendly lot of senators. He returned to his official residence with official protocol etc on the advice-cum-request of Raja Zafarul Haq. He however was able to secure some limelight for his timely snub for some arrogant federal ministers of the PML-N, resonated duly in the power corridors. 

Though considered above party politics because of the respect and stature he enjoys among senators across the board, still Zardari sahib takes all the credit of elevating Mr Rabbani as Senate chairman as opposition parties enjoyed majority in the upper House of Parliament. As a matter of fact, Rabbani had become a consensus candidate after securing support of Premier Sharif in the first place. No other could have mustered across the board support. A comrade of late Benazir Bhutto, the gentleman however never made it to the inner circle of Asif Zardari. The list of such neglected political stars sidelined for good since 2008 is long. Mr Rabbani has never been favourite of the PPP strong man from the outset of Zardari rule in the party as cronies like Farook H Naek and then Nayyer Bokhari were elevated one after the other during the PPP rule. Rabbani was ignored, sometimes snubbed. But his sheer hard work and honesty (especially on the issue of constitutional amendment package passed then) earned him a lot of respect from opposition as well as treasury senators. Yes he is annoyed with the continuous and habitual absence of federal ministers during Senate proceedings. But the whole thing is manageable. National Assembly is a different ball game. Here Speaker Ayaz Sadiq is more inclined to become political trouble shooter. Deputy Speaker Mutaza Abbasi takes pride in acting like a party loyalist. In Friday’s proceedings too, Mr Abbasi completely ignored Naveed Qamar and rest of PPP legislators. As a result, regular business was not taken up. 

Two calling attention notices of public importance – from PPP legislators concerning prolonged power outages, and the second by PTI regarding acute water shortage in Islamabad – couldn’t be taken up. Not because PPP disrupted the proceedings. They just retreated to the opposition lobby as usual after a walkout. But the treasury could not muster the required 86 members to maintain quorum and continue with the Lower House business as usual. Only 56 plus members were in attendance as the lack of quorum was pointed out by a PPP member after one hour and 15 minutes proceedings, out of which one hour plus is consumed by the question hour.

PPP Parliamentary Leader Naveed Qamar however marshaled his comrades for a walkout as the less articulated Deputy Speaker Murtaza Abbasi tried to ignore his demand that government should reply their queries about the three missing aides of former president Asif Zardari. 

Like Khursheed Shah, who was not present this day, Naveed Qamar tried to tease a few ministers present. “If the government cannot come up with answer (on missing Zardari aides), it should at least admit its helplessness,” he went on to say. Some front row ministers could only fume, as the interior minister and his deputy didn’t turn up in the National Assembly for the second day running. Finding nothing but a deafening silence from the treasury, they could only walk out. No major opposition party i.e. PTI, MQM, or for that matter JI, joined forces with their PPP colleagues this time around. Everyone has his own axe to grind, especially in the wake of next year’s elections as every mentionable political entity wants cordial working relationship with the garrison. At the peak of his new found confidence in the wake of last November change of guard at the garrison, Zardari sahib perhaps miscalculated some manoeuvers. Hence, the situation is at hand.