LAHORE, Nov 16: There may not be a ‘forward bloc’ in the ruling PML, as Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi claims, but a member of his party effectively blocked the provincial legislature’s proceedings on Wednesday, creating sort of an embarrassment which even the opposition benches had chosen to avoid during the current session despite all differences.

Najaf Sial, who had humiliated all bureaucrats a couple of days ago by saying on the floor of the house that they belonged to inferior castes, was more aggressive in his tone on Wednesday and he subjected all ministers, parliamentary secretaries and chairmen of the standing committees — 160 in all — to the severest ever criticism.

The proceedings were going on and the health minister had opened general discussion on health when Mr Sial, proud of his racial superiority, rose in his seat and ‘opened fire’ on his treasury colleagues for their failure to maintain quorum despite drawing attractive salaries and other benefits. A head count established that the members were not present in the required numbers, and the chair adjourned the session for Thursday.

Then in front of Speaker’s Chamber, Sial and parliamentary secretary Malik Ahmed said while talking to reporters that the assemblies should be dissolved if they were unable to discharge their functions and presidential system should be introduced. Both said they were loyal to Gen Musharraf and Pervaiz Elahi.

Mr Sial was right in his point that the ruling party members should maintain quorum, but he would have done better if he had let the proceedings go on.

Opposition leader Qasim Zia and PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah Khan celebrated the ‘in-fighting’ going on in the ruling party. Qasim thought that the assemblies had already completed their “natural life” and were going to be dissolved by the end of the year.

However, a respectable ruling party member said some ‘gloved hands’ were instigating some members to create difficulties for the party leadership. However, some others said Sial was involved in “sheer blackmailing” as he had not been given 97 kanals of land he was asking for.

It is said that Sial planned to point out the lack of quorum even on Tuesday and had sent Law Minister Raja Basharat a chit to seek permission for the purpose. But he dropped the plan when the minister said: “No way”.

A meeting of the PML parliamentary party has been called for Nov 21 on which day the conduct of Mr Sial and his grievances, if any, would be discussed along with other issues on the agenda.

Senior leader Rai Ejaz believes that President Musharraf would take some important decisions after the donors conference. However, he doesn’t like to speculate on what those decisions might be.

The law minister has taken serious notice of the treasury members’ absence from the house and the failure of various departments to send the answers to questions sent by the Assembly Secretariat. He wrote a letter to the chief secretary on Tuesday and by Wednesday morning answers to all questions had reached the law minister’s office.

Secretariat sources say that a group of senior bureaucrats is planning to call on Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi during the next few days to seek action against Mr Sial for the derogatory language he had used against them, specially when they were unable to defend themselves in the house. They also plan to take the history of the Sials and the service record of Mr Sial when he was tehsildar or magistrate with them for submission to the chief minister. According to one bureaucrat, the delegation would urge the chief minister that all “educated ignoramuses” like Sial should be told to behave in a dignified manner, specially when they are speaking from the assembly floor.

The bureaucrats feel hurt that the treasury benches had not defended them when Mr Sial was using derogatory language against them.

There are also reports that some ruling party legislators are going to seek stern action against the legislator from Jhang for bringing an embarrassment to the government. How the chief minister handles the problem, will become clear on Nov 21. “Grievances” of south Punjab were once again raised in the assembly on Wednesday — this time by MMA’s Asghar Gujjar. He claimed that only seven students out of total 1,900 who had appeared for the entrance test for pre-medical been granted admission.

He likened the situation in southern Punjab to the one which prevailed in East Pakistan before it emerged as Bangladesh on the global map.

But health minister Tahir Ali Javed pulverised his case within no time. Armed with figures collected from all districts, the minister told the house that more than 300 students had been given admission.

The situation in that part of the province has come under discussion many a time, but the “grievances” stay as they were. The chief minister should better hold a special meeting with the representatives of the entire region and devise a strategy to solve all problems.