ISLAMABAD, May 12: Opposition protests and a walkout marked the start of a Senate session on Friday when members raised issues ranging high sugar and petroleum prices to severe power cuts, water shortages and alleged humiliation of detained nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan.
Former opposition leader Raza Rabbani led a token walkout by the combined opposition to protest against the electricity load- shedding in Karachi and Balochistan, the law and order situation in Sindh province and the demolition of Karachi’s old “goths” or villages.
There was no government response on most of these issues because of being raised through points of order, which do not need a reply, although some senators of the ruling coalition joined voices with the opposition or had their own grievances on what turned out to be a day of complaints.
Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro promised a debate on sugar prices as he cut short PPP Senator Mohammad Enver Baig’s attack on what he called the “ruling elite” owning 80 per cent of the country’s sugar mills and the failure of government or its National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to do anything before the house was adjourned until 4pm on Monday.
Veteran parliamentarian Chaudhry Mohammad Anwar Bhinder of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) was the first to complain about what he called short supplies of irrigation waters in Punjab since early April, which he said had created a critical condition for cotton and rice crops there.
Similar complaints came from MMA senators Khalid Soomro from Sindh and Kamran Murtaza from Balochistan who said the situation was worse in their provinces for which they blamed the federal government.
Leader of house Wasim Sajjad took the opportunity to stress the need of more water reservoirs in the country as he appeared to plead the government’s case for the controversial Kalabagh Dam without mentioning it by name.
Mr Raza Rabbani, the parliamentary leader of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP), said Sindh was facing not only water shortages but also the worst power crisis in Karachi which he said was part of an “international imperialist agenda” to cripple Pakistan’s industry.
He also protested against the demolition of “goths” in Karachi and what he called lack of any progress in the investigation of April the 11 bomb attack on a religious rally at Karachi’s Nishtar Park before leading the walkout.
Former information minister Nisar Ahmed Memon called for a judicial inquiry into the demolition of Karachi’s “goths”, including the aspect whether it was a land- grab move, payment of compensation to those killed in the operation and punishment to officials found responsible for excesses.
MMA’s Prof Khurshid Ahmed urged Mr Soomro to form a Senate committee under his chairmanship to meet Dr A.Q. Khan to check alleged “torture and oppression” perpetrated on the scientist.
He suggested the committee include himself, Mr Rabbani and senators Wasim Sajjad and S.M. Zafar from the ruling party but failed to get an immediate response from the chair.
Senator Abdul Rahim Mandokhel of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party called for a debate on the water issue and called for an additional electricity transmission line to the province from the NWFP.
PPP’s Farooq Hamid Naek accused the NAB of focusing on political victimisation of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto rather than fighting corruption or probing the sugar crisis, provoking some angry exchanges with Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Kamil Ali Agha.
Earlier, the chairman sent to the house privileges committee a privilege motion from Senator Hamidullah Khan from Fata who complained of breach of privilege by an official who he said had barred him and three other Fata senators from holding a news conference at the Parliamentary Lodges in Islamabad on May 9.
