ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary proceedings, when televised, do not usually make for gripping television. At least that is what conventional wisdom on the subject dictates.

But on Tuesday afternoon, people from across the political spectrum and several otherwise apolitical individuals were glued to their TV sets as the joint sitting of both houses of parliament got underway in the capital.

A landmark sitting where all parties assured the government of their support, Tuesday’s debate on the floor of the house boasted star power in the form of Senate opposition leader Aitzaz Ahsan and the erstwhile Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf president, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi – who crossed the fence to attend session where he also announced his resignation from the assembly.

Around the country, the tension was palpable as households and commerce ground to a near halt as people huddled around TV screens to watch the drama unfold in the house, albeit for different reasons.

A faculty member from the Karakoram University in Gilgit told Dawn that most teachers and students spent the afternoon listening to the speeches.

“Everybody was talking about Javed Hashmi and there was applause when he began his speech,” she said.

In the capital too, things were no different. Restaurants, cafes and shops: indeed any place with a TV set saw crowds of anxious passers-by stopping to listen to what the parliamentarians had to say.

Ambreen Faisal Khan, an airline executive, told Dawn, “I couldn’t be less interested in politics, but the past few weeks have been totally different. This guessing game: whether the government would go home or not, has got me involved as well. Be it social media or news channels, I’m always surfing to find out the latest. I’ve even stopped watching entertainment channels.”

Raheela Hamid, a housewife, said: “The only topic of discussion in my house during the last couple of weeks has been the sit-ins. I am usually apolitical, but these days it is only politics. With TV channels feeding us information round the clock, I think I have become politically aware myself and I don’t hesitate to get involved in such discussions.”

Constitution Avenue, where protesters and security personnel clashed just a day earlier, also witnessed an uneasy calm that prevailed during the day.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) supporters such as Raheel Ali and his friends said they knew it would be a quiet day.

“It was the National Assembly session; all eyes were on what was going on inside the parliament. We knew there would be no violence because that would have only made the government look bad,” Mr Ali, a marketing executive, told Dawn.

He said that after the demoralising events of the past three days, it was a welcome change to see a relaxation in the police attitude. “Today, the police kept their distance. No one tried to stop us from joining the sit-in.”

In the case of die-hard PTI supporters Asad Niazi and Ahmad Mohiuddin, their respect for Imran Khan only grew after hearing the speeches in the National Assembly.

Neither was impressed by Aitzaz Ahsan, and Ahmed said that he heard Aitzaz Ahsan call the Nawaz Sharif government “corrupt” and culpable for the Model Town murders, but still extended his party’s support to him.

Mr Niazi, who was tending to the injured from the previous day’s clashes, said: “The speeches from different leaders in the National Assembly today only confirmed what Imran Khan stands for, that the elections were rigged and this government is not truly representative of the people of Pakistan,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2014