Opposition desperately dragging feet to keep Leaks issue alive

View from the Gallery

The PPP-PTI dominated opposition in the National Assembly is desperately dragging its feet to keep the “news leaks” issue alive in the current session at least. With budget session just round the corner, a little but consistent stir on this issue will make their day at any given time. But that too for the front row leading lights, rest of their back bencher colleagues are not interested, except appearing in television talk shows. For them, just like their majority treasury colleagues, Parliament is a source of good salaries, and perks. So majority of such treasury-opposition legislators don’t take interest in proceedings, debates, issues.

In Monday morning proceedings one could see the PTI trio – Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Shireen Mazari, Asad Umar – trying their best to play it to the galleries in the near demise days of “news leaks” related saga. The so-called intellectual lot on the PTI benches with the help of back end social media team is fast coining new terms and churning out catchy phrases in a happy-go-lucky mode. This helps further their propaganda machine, plus keep the momentum going in the Parliament for a mere presence’s sake as their leader Imran Khan seldom turns up here. Same goes for Leader of the House, Premier Sharif. Taking the floor Tuesday morning, Dr Shireen Mazari, wanted explanations on news leaks, wandering why the whole issue was given hype by the military leadership as well as Interior Minister Ch Nisar. Then a national security breach solved amicably without some heads rolling for good. Not satisfied with military spokesperson revoking his famous tweets on the issue, she wondered why the issue was settled in closed door meetings. Any precedent of resolving such sensitive matters in open, Dr Mazari and Asad Umar had his own logic.

Quickly forgetting their 2014 sit-in politics when they thrived on such tweets from the garrison thinking naively it would ultimately pave way for the overthrow of Sharif through some semi un-constitutional way, Mr Umar is now championing the democratic cause telling everyone that the Parliament is supreme. And no institution can make country’s foreign policy. In a nutshell, they don’t endorse civil-military rapprochement on the issue till 200 million Pakistanis are taken into confidence.

Asad Umar and Shireen Mazari represent a different class of politicians with almost no experience of street politics, but personal skills landed them in the national legislature -- blessings of the top party leader were more handy. Asad contested the 2013 by-elections and won because of the urban middle class voters of Islamabad favoured an educated PTI political novice over tried and tested PML-N faces. Having recently risen to the top ranks of the PTI, both of them enjoy uninterrupted access to party chief Imran Khan as they stand out for having unique relation and repo with an intellectual class of the garrison. 

Shireen because of her think tank, formerly NDC faculty background, Asad is the proudson of late Major General Umar who earned name in the then east Pakistan. He is also real brother of Sindh Governor Zubair Umar who rose to the prized slot after becoming the top media man under Maryam Nawaz, Premier Sharif’s daughter and heir apparent.  Both the brothers, however, keep a safe distance in public life and media as both are in top circles of PTI and PML-N. In the modern day politics, such examples are rare. But this is the tried and tested way to success.

In Tuesday’s session, Shah Mahmood Qureshi also didn’t lag behind. He came up with his own ‘pearls of wisdom’ laden with “news alert” stuff pointing out the presence of Tariq Fatemi in PM’s delegation to China. But, Qureshi sahib, Mr Fatemi was never sacked; only his portfolio of foreign affairs was revoked. He is still adviser to the premier. Rest of the details would be handy for public consumption. And who else then Mr Qureshi is capable of coming up with such informative stuff.

  Fresh from a fresh spree of public meetings, for now the PTI wants this political point scoring game to continue for more weeks and months. PPP has to follow as they are always in search of some moral high ground – hard to come by because of a list of Zardari sahib cronies and favourites ruling the roost in Sindh for last 9 years.

Panama JIT investigations report may provide the PTI lot more meat to thrive on for more days and weeks in near future. The whole thing makes their propaganda very cost effective to land them in election year in a very upbeat mood. Relying solely on divine intervention to swing public sentiment in their favour, PPP wants to play ball on the twin news leaks-Panama leaks as it provides a prefect camouflage to their governance blues in the Sindh province. And provides some fodder to Zardari sahib’s inter-provincial tours where he is trying to gain lost political ground employing all the rhetoric and sarcastic-catchy words at his disposal. All this when both the major opposition parties know in their heart of hearts that their wish to create civil-military wedge has fizzled out. But both these parties, polls apart from each other on some real political issues, are just trying to drag their feet to stay relevant.

Till date, they are in utter disbelief, not able to reconcile with the civil-military give and take that brought about an unexpected, surprise relief for the PML-N and allies even when they master the art of entering difficult situations one after the other. The way military spokesman revoked his fatal tweet and announced to bow before the civilian supremacy is too much to swallow for a lot of politicians desperate to rock the boat of the present system of governance, and some retired generals having occupied the television screens since PTI-PAT 2014 sit-in. And not letting it go till now. They thrive on every political and administrative folly, sometimes readily provided by the movers and shakers of the PML-N dispensation who sometimes act very late at key moments.

  Tail piece: Why did elder Zardari sister Dr Azra Fazel introduce the Panama Papers commissions bill passed by Senate a while ago, knowing well the same cannot sail through the National Assembly. So it stood rejected at the NA, as expected. PPP wanted another inquiry commission on Panama Papers even when Supreme Court had spent months hearing it, and now a JIT is working on it. Law Minister Zahid Hamid could only cry foul as he elaborated an inquiry commissions’ bill has already been passed by both the Houses. Hope Senator Aitzaz Ahsan would soon elaborate as his efforts to prepare legal clutches for ruling Sharif in the form of such bills has finally fizzled out. Better luck next time, Chaudhry sahib.