ISLAMABAD: Senate Chair­man Mian Raza Rabbani warned the government on Wednesday against what he called its growing tendency of “bypassing” parliament on key issues, saying it seemed that “the executive wants to overrun parliament”.

“Yesterday’s two incidents are sufficient to send a message to the government. You will have to come to these houses and strengthen parliament,” he said without elaborating.

Mr Rabbani then asked Minister for Ports and Shipping Hasil Bizenjo to give sane advice to the government that it should strengthen parliament as the rulers had no other option.

“You are a senior politician. Please advise the government. Yesterday’s two incidents clearly show the direction of the wind. I hope you would have understood,” the chairman said while addressing Mr Bizenjo.

While Mr Rabbani did not mention the incidents, it is believed that he hinted at Tuesday’s meeting between federal ministers and the military leadership at the General Headquarters and the siege of the house of Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Dr Farooq Sattar by Rangers in Karachi.

The warning came from the chair when Minister for States and Frontier Regions retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch, responding to a calling-attention notice on Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) reforms, talked only about the committee formed by the prime minister and did not mention the recommendations made by the Senate as a committee of the whole house on the same subject.

“You have totally ignored the Senate committee of the whole house and its recommendations,” Mr Rabbani said. “The government’s trend of bypassing and sidetracking parliament is inappropriate.” Parliament was the “real strength” of the rulers and they would have to strengthen it, he added.

The Senate chairman said that the government had the right to set up committees, but it seemed that it wanted to overrun parliament. He said that the committee formed by the prime minister on Fata reforms did not even have representation of the tribal areas.

Mr Baloch said that perhaps he could not properly express his views, adding that the final reforms would definitely be approved by the two houses of parliament. “It cannot be done without the approval of elected representatives.”

Earlier, responding to the calling-attention notice moved by retired Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum about “delay in finalisation and implementation of much-needed Fata reforms”, the minister said that the committee formed by the prime minister on Fata reforms had almost completed its job.

He said that the committee headed by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had compiled its recommendations after visiting the seven agencies of Fata and meeting Maliks, tribal elders, journalists, members of parliament from the area and common people. The committee’s report will be presented to the prime minister and the cabinet soon.

Mr Baloch assured the house that Fata reforms would be implemented in a year. He said that Fata people wanted rehabilitation and reconstruction of the conflict-hit tribal areas before implementation of the reforms.

He said that Fata people had rendered great sacrifices in the fight against terror, but they had been denied the right of representation and self-governance. People of Fata had not yet seen democracy, he added.

Later, the senators continued debate on the federal budget.

Nehal Hashmi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, in his comments on the budget, also lashed out at Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, declaring him a “12th man in the political field”.

He targeted Mr Bhutto-Zardari apparently for the latter’s criticism of the budget and his remarks that the budget had been prepared only for Punjab.

Mr Hashmi held frequent military interference responsible for the present state of politics and economy in the country. He said that it was during the military regime of Gen Pervez Musharraf that the pension of retired military personnel was put under the head of the civilian budget. He said that military pensions should be paid from the defence budget.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2016