ISLAMABAD Oct 22: The combined opposition in the National Assembly on Friday claimed that its no-trust move against Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain was a success as the government side failed to produce its members to take part in the secret ballot.
Speaking at a joint news conference at the parliament house, the opposition spokesmen accused the government of forcing the 'suspect' MNAs out of the house and the Deputy Speaker Sardar Yaqub Khan of not allowing 107 movers of the resolution to speak on its merits. They alleged that the government had forced the unreliable treasury members and rebels out of the house during deliberations on the no-trust motion.
Incidentally, no front-line leader of any major political Party, the ARD on the MMA, was present at the press conference although PPP Parliamentarians' Makhdoom Amin Fahim and PML-N's Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan were present in the house during Proceedings on the no-trust motion. Chaudhary Nisar was one of the three opposition members who spoke on the motion. He had stayed away from the opposition's press conference also on Thursday.
The absence of PPP Parliamentarian chief from the press conference was seen by some observers as an indication that the party was engaged in secret talks with the government.
When repeatedly asked why in contrast to their loud claims the opposition parties had failed to forge an anti- Musharraf coalition, the leaders said, the day was not far off when they would come out together to challenge "the general's uniformed presidency".
Deputy secretary-general of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal Liaqat Baloch, referred to Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed's statement that the MMA was hurting its own interest by siding with ARD, and said: "The fact is that the government is digging its own grave".
The MMA leader said that all the opposition parties held the same position on basic issues in the parliament and this unanimity of views would take the shape of a huge movement to remove the regime.
Replying to another question, he said Gen Musharraf would not be acceptable to the people as president even if he shed his army uniform before Dec 31. He said that over the past two years the parliament had been run in violation of established parliamentary traditions and the speaker was solely responsible for that.
He claimed that differences were on the rise in the ruling coalition as reflected in blocking the way of treasury members were stopped from casting their vote on the no-trust motion.
PPP Parliamentarians secretary general Raja Parvaiz Ashraf said Deputy Speaker Sardar Yaqub had conducted no-trust proceedings in the same manner against which the combined opposition had moved the no-trust motion against the Speaker Amir Hussain Chaudhry.
He claimed victory for the opposition because of what he called "the un-parliamentary handling ", of the no-trust motion against the speaker. Senior PPP Shah Mehmood Qureshi parliamentarian MP said the prestige of the parliament had been damaged by violations of its Rule 12(1), (6) and (8) which bound the government to face a no-trust move through secret ballot.
He said gross constitutional violations had tarnished the sovereignty of parliament. It became a lifeless house after its members were blocked from debating the issue and treasury members were stopped from casting vote in secret ballot.
He said the recent events in which an unconstitutional bill to legitimize the president-in-uniform was passed and the way in which Friday's no-trust motion was tackled were flagrant violation of the constitution.
He said that in parliament the speaker played the role of a bridge the between treasury and the opposition while the incumbent speaker creates confusion and tension between the two sides with his partial attitude. Khwaja Saad Rafiq of the PML-N said the speaker run parliamentary proceedings as if he was acting on instructions from above.
