ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: The government on Friday blocked an opposition move in the Senate for a promised debate on increases in petroleum and gas prices as speculation about the ruling coalition's political worries swirled like dark clouds
that have showered rains for more than a week.
But the treasury and opposition benches overcame minor differences to create a token relief fund from their salaries for one month to help victims of rains and snow storms.
For the second day running, the government avoided admission of an opposition adjournment motion to debate up to five per cent increase in the prices of petroleum products and eight per cent in gas prices. The government had agreed last week to have debates on the privatization of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation and increases in petroleum and gas prices.
A two-day debate on the KESC sale concluded on Thursday, but ministers blocked a similar adjournment motion for a debate on the petroleum and gas prices for the second time on Friday, provoking an opposition charge that they were violating a commitment made by Minister of State for Finance Omar Ayub Khan.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi had opposed the opposition motion at the end of the KESC debate on Thursday evening, but had promised to consider the move on Friday.
It was Minister of State for Law, Justice and Human Rights Chaudhry Shahid Anwar Bhinder who opposed Prof Khurshid Ahmed's motion on Friday on the ground that Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Amanullah Jadoon was not present in the house.
Opposition protests failed to convince ministerial benches for a debate despite an apparent no-objection from leader of the house Wasim Sajjad, leaving chairman Mohammed mian Soomro with no option but to put off the matter until the next sitting on Monday.
There was no immediate explanation for the government's apparent change of mind in the wake of a series of coalition meetings over issues ranging from unrest in Balochistan to claimed moves for reconciliation with main opposition parties.
The latest was PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain's meeting on Friday morning with PML parliament members as well as Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Yousuf, some participants said.
It followed a cabinet meeting on Thursday and a statement by Information and Broadcasting Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed - coinciding with a meeting between former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in Jeddah - that the government was in constant touch with the Pakistan People's Party for political conciliation and that the PML could share seats with it in next elections.
The Senate relief fund was created after a brief debate initiated by two senators from Balochistan who called for immediate help to hundreds of people affected by a dam burst near Pasni.
While Agha Pari Gul of the PML called for immediate action, Aslam Buledi of the opposition Balochistan National Movement complained that while his province faced a calamity, the provincial chief minister was in Islamabad 'trying to save his government'.
"It is a federal rain... raining all over the country," Senate vice-chairman Khalilur Rehman remarked as he told the house that he had been appointed at the meeting at Chaudhry Shujaat's house as in-charge of a committee to assess damage from rains and snow in the NWFP.
PML secretary-general Mushahid Hussain said three teams had been set up to assess damage caused by rains and snowfall and report by Monday and that every effort would be made to help victims of what he called a national calamity.
