ISLAMABAD: As the opposition slammed the government for skyrocketing price hike, ignoring parliament and making attempts to run the country through ordinances, a federal minister on Wednesday offered the opposition an accord on ‘minimum common agenda’.

Speaking in the Senate on the first day of the new calendar year, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry called for forgetting the bitterness of the past and creating a consensus, warning that “we cannot afford to miss the opportunity”.

Known for his fiery speeches against political opponents, Mr Chaudhry conceded that he had been a bit harsh in the past, but stressed that there was a need to turn the page in the new year. “Future will slip out of our hands if things are not set right,” he cautioned. He agreed that 100 per cent consensus was not possible, but said democracy demanded minimum consensus.

The PTI leader was of the view that despite difference of opinion on some fundamental matters, there was a possibility of reaching consensus on the accountability system and appointment of the chief election commissioner and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Mr Chaudhry said the Constitution determined the balance of power between ‘four institutions’, which included the armed forces if political reality was to be taken into account. He said all the institutions currently appeared to be at odds.

“I think these four institutions are neither culpable in all matters nor blameless in all matters,” he said, adding that all the four branches were susceptible to making mistakes. Alluding to the controversy over extension in service of the army chief, he said: “The army is not only the PTI’s; it equally belongs to the PML-N, Jamaat-i-Islami and the JUI.”

About a lawmaker’s concern over open criticism of the judiciary by Prime Minister Imran Khan during a public meeting, prompting the then chief justice of Pakistan to respond, Mr Chaudhry said that although he had great respect for the Supreme Court and the judiciary, the courts “want to judge all of us parliamentarians on the touchstone of Articles 62 and 63 [of the Constitution] and hold us accountable, but the judiciary itself is not ready to come to the Public Accounts Committee. How will things function when public money is involved in all this?”

He said they wanted to hang former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf but wanted protection for judges who had taken the oath under the Provisional Constitution Order.

Addressing the treasury and opposition benches, the minister said: “On this first day of the new year, I want to request that we devise a minimum common agenda which can include the ECP, the accountability system and other big issues.”

Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani questioned the amendments proposed by the government to the accountability law and said the government had through the amendments exempted businessmen, bureaucrats, judges and the military from being proceeded against under the law. “Who is then left? Only you and I are left,” he said, addressing the Senate chairman.

“Is the NAB law only there for politicians?” he asked, suggesting that parliament should be allowed to “try the parliamentarians”. Otherwise, he said, if the government really wanted to conduct accountability, then “the only path to meaningful accountability is one law, one bureau [and] across-the-board accountability”.

The PPP lawmaker said there should be no “holy cows” under a fair accountability law which, according to him, should apply to the judiciary and military, as well as the bureaucracy.

Speaking about the issue of extension in tenure of Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, which underwent strict scrutiny in the Supreme Court in November, Mr Rabbani said the PTI government had due to its “incapability and incapacity” landed a national institution [army] into an “embarrassing position”.

JUI-F Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri expressed concern over the statement issued by the military spokesman following the announcement of court’s verdict against General Musharraf in the high treason case and said a debate on the verdict should have taken place in parliament.

PPP parliamentary leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman said the government had convened the session only after a requisition was submitted by the opposition. She said the house had been convened at a short notice of less than 24 hours against the tradition of at least 48-hour notice.

Ms Rehman also criticised the government for what she called mismanaging the economy. She rejected the government’s claims that the economy had stabilised and said the recent State Bank report falsified these claims.

PML-N Senator retired Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum observed that the country could not be run without following the dictates of the Constitution.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2020