ISLAMABAD, March 20: Senators belonging to the opposition and treasury benches have developed consensus on bringing a halt to ongoing operations in Waziristan and Balochistan and proposed renewed reconciliation efforts to achieve durable peace.

The consensus was achieved on Monday following a two-day debate in which more than 40 senators from the opposition and treasury benches took part.

Almost all senators backed calls for an immediate halt to the military action and urged the government to initiate effective confidence building measures, reopen dialogue and enforce unanimously agreed recommendations of the parliamentary committee on Balochistan.

They also called for immediate steps to convene a parliamentary committee for constitutional reforms and finalise its recommendations on provincial autonomy.

The government, however, defended its action and said it was only trying to ensure the writ of the government and protect innocent people.

Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro, who had come under pressure from the opposition just after he had taken fresh oath, appeared to be more accommodating than before and allowed several members to speak without restricting them on the grounds of time and repetition of thoughts and ideas.

As a result, some two dozen members from opposition and treasury benches delivered speeches similar in tone and tenor and advocating reconciliation instead of force.

Leader of the house Wasim Sajjad, who also heads the sub-committee of Chaudhry Shujaat’s parliamentary committee on Balochistan, offered a fresh initiative to the opposition, particularly those parties that had boycotted the committee’s proceedings in the middle in protest against the launching of a military operation in Balochistan.

Since the sub-committee was performing the sensitive task of drawing up a comprehensive constitutional package, Mr Sajjad said it was important to create “an atmosphere of understanding” wherein all members sat together and prepared a “consensus package” because a two-thirds majority in parliament was needed for its approval.

On the first day of debate (Friday), the government snubbed a proposal by Senate members to constitute a special committee to tackle both the issues, forcing the senators to abort the plan on Saturday.

When the house resumed proceedings on Saturday members offered condolences over the killing of two persons in Sibi.

Deputy Chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali on a point of order said that the “ target killing of ethnic Punjabis was a crime against humanity and murder of humanity”.

Gul Nasib Khan of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal offered fateha for the deceased and strongly condemned the target killing.

Taking the floor in the debate, Mian Raza Rabbani, parliamentary leader of People’s Party Parliamentarians, urged the government to share evidence of foreign involvement in Waziristan and Balochistan to justify its military action.

He asked the government to explain why it had not implemented recommendations of Mushahid Hussain sub-committee’s consensus when the government itself had formed the committee.

He demanded that the government specify the quantum of provincial autonomy that it was ready to concede. He also called for identification of those ‘hidden’ hands which were blocking the implementation of parliamentary committee’s recommendations.

Mr Rabbani proposed holding a joint parliamentary session to allow President General Pervez Musharraf to address it and discuss problems that the nation was facing.

In order to restart dialogue with political forces in Balochistan, he said the ongoing operation should be halted, prisoners should be released and grounds paved for making such talks successful.

Prof Khurshid Ahmed of MMA regretted non-implementation of even five per cent of the unanimous recommendations of the parliamentary committee on Balochistan. “If the government is ready to complete the report of Wasim Sajjad sub-committee, we will try our utmost to bring back the estranged members of the committee to participate in the proceedings,” he said.

He cautioned the government against repeating the oft-repeated rhetoric of establishing its writ through military action and said such a writ could not be established by the use of force.

ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan said the issues of Waziristan and Balochistan should not be seen from opposition or treasury point of view, but should be tackled as an issue concerning Pakistan.

Prof Ibrahim Khan of MMA criticised the president for issuing threats to opponents of his policies in Balochistan and Waziristan and said such a tone was unbecoming of his office.

Abdur Rahim Mandokhel said his party opposed any operation targeting local tribesmen in Waziristan and Balochistan but endorsed action against any foreign elements in the tribal belt.