Nehal episode, a godsend boost for opposition show

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ISLAMABAD: The “people’s assembly” organised by National Assembly’s opposition lot at the semi-detached premises of the Parliament House Wednesday afternoon would never have been a successful venture without Senator Nehal Hashmi’s episode.

Everyone thought the NA opposition has come up with a copy cat of similar show by opposition Senators last year. Especially when the issue involved was not of national importance, and revolved around an egocentric novel idea by the Opposition Leader to go live at the expense of state run TV.

So the whole thing was taken for granted for two days by the treasury till it was sandwiched between President Mamnoon’s address to the Parliament and Senator Nehal Hashmi’s outburst that damaged Sharif family’s cause rather than strengthening it.

Though PM House tried to do the damage control by first distancing itself from Senator’s assertion, then issuing a show cause. And finally asking him to resign immediately. Whether all this was enough to save grace for Thursday’s address of President Mamnoon Hussain to Parliament? Sadly not. Leading opposition lights, especially PTI lot, won’t let this golden chance slip away. They plan on making full use of the situation at hand especially when country’s top civil military brass, and foreign envoys are in presence.

Senator Hashmi’s episode was godsend for the otherwise subdued opposition lot with less convincing points at disposal to dissect budget 2017-18. Opposition’s agitation hardy MPs notwithstanding, condemnations poured in all through Wednesday evening from ruling party ministers, allies as well, naturally for media consumption as the whole controversy peaked. Especially in the wake of Senator’s resignation and his summoning by the apex court. Behind the scenes, many wondered whether Nehal Hashmi was yet another proud addition to the political lieutenants of Premier Sharif who took a calculated risk, and in the process increased his stature in the eyes of the leadership. Senator Pervaiz Rashid and Mushahidullah Khan being such examples – the former had to resign last year as news leaks broke out (apparently punished for being unable to get the news leaks story killed before publication) the later in 2015 as he propagated a story against a disciplined outfit spy master for backing the 2014 PTI sit-in.  Now it remains to be seen whether Nehal Hashmi falls in the category of such proud colleagues of his. Or has been rightly punished for his overkill, loose shot, political blunder that put the government under tremendous pressure in the prevalent political environment. But all this provided some meat to the otherwise dull proceedings of the “peoples assembly”. Most of the urban and rural elite from PTI-PPP benches tucked in at a less airy, small and dingy space just outside the main entry of the Parliament House. Thanks to the clouds hovering above the temperature was just bearable for the MPs, the chairs were however less in number to accommodate all. Most of ace MPs and backbenchers looking desperate for more media coverage , were however deep down very uneasy in absence of fans and air conditioners.   And then the actually session kicked of amidst comic interjections by worthy MPs. Opposition leader Khurshid Shah came up with salvos of his trade mark political rhetoric, but struggled with facts and figures as usual. Shah Mahmood Qureshi was his usual self. Furious in tone, calculated in substance. Farooq Sattar bhai was more focused on Karachi load shedding blues. Asad Umar’s lecture on economy with a plethora of economic terminologies was difficult to understand for majority of the simple, less interested legislators who must have stayed away from Economics as a subject during their studies. It was however a good pitch for PTI’s Shireen Mazarri and PPP’s Shazia Marri to demonstrate their political charms through catchy words, phrases. Then the obvious selfie time – a typical PTI trademark. The rural PPP elite still shies away. In the end, Khurshid Shah and rest of the Opposition lot securing some minutes of coverage on private news channels.   Dr Mazrrai is unstoppable inside and outside the assembly. In the morning hours she picked up a fight with KPK governor Iqbal Jhagra over complaints that his motorcade had slightly hit her car when it was entering the Parliament House premises. So quick and sudden was Dr Mazarri’s onslaught that the governor stood still, speechless. He only complained about her attitude, brushed aside then and there by Ms Mazarri her  typical style.

Earlier in the day, three ministers approached the Opposition leader in his chamber with a good news. But that didn’t prove music to his ears. They got clearance for him to go live on stat run TV. But Khurshid Shah handed them a list of parliamentary leaders who would speak as part of this live package. Though not clear whether he was generous enough to include Sheikh Rashid’s name. But the package of air time demanded was double the airtime sought on Monday. The delay of two days forced the Opposition to stiffen its demands further. And some of the government’s political novices kept on thinking all this time that they have withered the storm. Or have been able to take most of the steam off opposition’s demand. That was not to be. Suddenly, they realized President Mamnoon will not be a happy man to bear with the loud slogans and agitation during his address to the joint sitting. More than that, treasury worries Opposition would try to make full use of Premier Sharif’s presence, and resort to sloganeering, agitation.

With precise this point in mind, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq formed a committee of sorts comprising two ministers and ally Mahmood Khan Achakzai. Knowing full well what is at stake on Thursday, this was what the Speaker could offer in the wake of stubborn treasury attitude towards budget session proceedings. But that didn’t work. Achakzai approached Mr Shah directly on stage. The opposition leader was taken by surprise. And could only ask him to wait. No concrete assurances were given by the Opposition lot till late Wednesday about a toned down agitation on Thursday despite best of efforts and contacts by top ministers. Tomorrow is another day.