ISLAMABAD, Aug 17: The government preferred a mysterious silence in a three-day National Assembly debate on the devastating rains and floods in parts of the country as it prorogued the house after a 19-day session without responding to opposition flak.

A government minister was expected to wind up the debate and reply to what has a scathing criticism from opposition parties for its alleged apathy and failings to help the sufferers and take precautionary measures despite forecasts about weather patterns.

But no minister came forward to do the job before chairperson Riaz Hussain Pirzada of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), who was presiding over the house at the time, read out President Pervez Musharraf’s prorogation order, which ended a session that conducted no legislative business and was marked by exhaustive debates on the law and order situation, the foreign policy and lastly the flood situation.

The government avoided taking up the legislative business put it on the agenda mainly because it usually did not have enough of its about 200 members in the 342-seat assembly to maintain a quorum of at least one-fourth, or 86 members, of the house while opposition parties appeared unwilling to cooperate.

There was no immediate official word about the timing of the next session, which could be the last of the present house before it runs out its five-year term on Nov 15.

But there was speculation about another session taking place early next month before an expected political turmoil when General Musharraf will seek his election for another presidential term from the present two houses of parliament and four provincial assemblies -- a move the opposition parties have vowed to resist by means including resignations from the assemblies to make the electoral college incomplete and going to the Supreme Court to seek his disqualification for a vote mainly for being in army uniform.

The prorogation of the house also appeared to make it uncertain for a near agreement between the ruling and opposition benches on Thursday to form a special committee of the house to be headed by Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain and including members from all parties to take up with the Election Commission their fears about the possibility of the registration of bogus votes and their use in the next general elections.

Several members from both sides of the house had supported the proposal made by Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal parliamentary party leader Liaqat Baloch but opposed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Abdul Qadir Khanzada (not Israrul Ibad as inadvertently reported in Dawn’s report on Friday about Thursday’s proceedings) who said his party would only support a join committee to discuss ways to ensure free and fair elections as already proposed by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

The speaker had promised to take his decision in the matter after studying the issue and more consultations with both sides of the house.

It was another day of poor attendance on the ruling benches, though some of the ruling party members too pointed out difficulties suffered by rain- and flood-hit people of their regions as did members from the opposition parties.

Nawab Abdul Ghani Talpur of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP), while speaking about the plight of Karachi, said he had to go to his house there in shorts because of the flooded streets.

Rehana Khalida Binori of the MMA said proper planning, as done by developed countries, could turn rains into blessing by channelling floodwaters through dams rather than being a source of destruction.

PML members Begum Tehmina Dasti and Sardar Bahadur Khan called for strengthening precautionary measures against natural calamities while their party colleague Riaz Fatiana demanded special grants for rebuilding collapsed houses.

PPP’s Shagufta Jamani complained that the irrigation department of the Sindh government had become a “corruption adda” (den).