03 December 2004	Friday	20 Shawwal 1425

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: Senators from across the party divide gave a unanimous majority vote to the ruling party secretary-general, Senator Mushahid Hussain, as a head count was made by the acting Senate chairman on Thursday to refer a breach of privilege case on wrong information supplied to the Upper House by the prime minister's secretariat.

Commander (retired) Khalilur Rehman asked for voting on referring the breach of privilege case to the privileges committee after the Minister In-charge of Prime Minister's Secretariat, Dr Sher Afgan, conceded that wrong information had been placed before the House which said Senator Mushahid had been investigated by the National Accountability Bureau in a case of "misuse of authority."

Senators of People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) more actively defended and pleaded the case of Senator Mushahid than those of the treasury benches to outwit Prime Minister Aziz's cabinet minister who earlier single handedly tried to defend the information furnished by the PM's secretariat.

The unanimous show of support to Senator Mushahid gave further air to reports in vernacular press that he could be a caretaker prime minister in any future interim set-up to establish a government of national reconciliation.

Although the senator questioned the "timing" of the wrong information supplied to the Upper House, he brushed aside the stories of his selection as a possible future caretaker prime minister as baseless rumours. However, PML Senior Vice-president Kabir Ali Wasti, held different views.

When asked for his comments on a government of national reconciliation, Mr Wasti said, "if all politicians go to the president, then any consensus can be developed and anything is possible."

In response to a question about Mushahid as a caretaker prime minister in a government of national reconciliation, Mr Wasti said, "Anybody can be appointed as prime minister with the consent of the president."

When Dawn had contacted Peoples Party Parliamentarian's spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar on Wednesday evening and asked him if Benazir Bhutto had agreed to possible nomination of Senator Mushahid as a caretaker prime minister, he said, though Mohtarma had not agreed to any such proposal but "there were rumours that Mushahid could be a caretaker prime minister sometime in future."

Earlier on Thursday, the Senate picked up the debate on Senator Farhatullah Babar's question which led the prime minister's secretariat to give the name of Mushahid Hussain as among those ministers, advisers and chairmen of standing committees who were investigated by NAB in different cases.

Immediately after Senator Babar asked a supplementary question that if the case against Mr Mushahid was closed by NAB or the legal process cleared him, the acting Senate chairman, gave the floor to Senator Mushahid.

Senator Mushahid challenged the veracity of the answer given by Sher Afgan and said it was wrong on two counts. Mushahid maintained that no case was registered against him and secondly the date of authorisation of the case as given in the reply was factually incorrect.

Supporting the version of Senator Mushahid, Senator Ishaq Dar of PML-N said the senator was shy to tell that when a "Rogue Army" advertisement was published in the Guardian newspaper, it was misconceived by the establishment of the day that Mushahid was behind its publication.

The PML-N senator said he was also asked questions about the case and he could say with authority that Mushahid had absolutely no role in that. Speaking after Mr Dar, Minister Afgan repeated the information in the written answer and said what was submitted to the House clearly said that Mr Mushahid was investigated on charges of misuse of authority and the case was closed in May 2002.

He said no FIR was registered in the case and no inquiry was done and the whole affairs was kept secret. Dr Afgan said the case was initiated on the directions of the then NAB chairman and it stood closed when no prima facie case could be established against Mr Mushahid.

Dr Afgan said NAB officials told him whatever Senator Mushahid had said was correct as he did not know about the secret investigations against him. Senator Rabbani questioned the rationale of giving Mr Mushahid's name in the written answer when no case had been registered against him. Senator Rabbani also challenged the minister to clarify if he stood by the position he took on Wednesday or if he was taking a new position.

The opposition senators pointed out that the written reply placed before the House said the case against Minister for Industries Jehangir Tareen, was authorized on August 28, 2000 and it was closed on May 17, 2000, much before the authorization!

Senator Rabbani said a prima facie case of misleading the House had been proved against the prime minister's secretariat and the NAB, the same should be referred to a special committee of the Senate for breach of privilege on account of deliberately misleading the House.

As Dr Afgan tried to hold the Senate secretariat responsible for checking the authenticity of information, Acting Chairman Rehman observed that his secretariat was responsible only for checking the admissibility of a question and not the information submitted by the ministries.

As the opposition expressed its lack of confidence in the ministerial inquiry and pressed for a house committee to probe the matter, the presiding officer first called for a voice vote on formation of committee.

When no clear indication could be found amid equally loud shouts of "Ayes" and "Noes," he called for a head count. Some of the treasury members, who had been opposing the case to be referred to the privileges committee through a voice vote, stood up with the opposition to vindicate Mushahid's battle to save his reputation.

The treasury members change of heart was brought about as they saw Mushahid standing up to support the opposition's point of view to refer the matter to the privileges committee.

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)