ISLAMABAD, Sept 12: Senate Deputy Chairman Jan Mohammad Jamali on Tuesday adjourned the session without taking up any item on the agenda for the day after the house offered fateha for Jamhoori Watan Party chief Nawab Akbar Bugti, who was killed in a military operation in Kohlu on Aug 26.
Speaking on a point of order, Opposition Leader in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani declared that Akbar Bugti was a martyr.
“Shaheed Bugti was struggling for the political and economic rights of his people,” Mr Rabbani said. He said the sitting should be adjourned to maintain parliamentary traditions as Nawab Bugti had remained a member of parliament. He said late Nawab Bugti had also served as minister of state for defence and chief minister and governor of Balochistan.
Earlier, soon after recitation from the Holy Quran, Prof Khursheed Ahmed of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal demanded that the government should allow nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan to live in the country as a free citizen. He said Dr Khan was the benefactor of the country and he should not be treated like a prisoner. He asked the government to arrange a meeting of elected representatives with Dr Khan who is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer in a Karachi hospital.
Replying to Prof Khursheed’s point, Leader of the House Wasim Sajjad said the government acknowledged Dr Khan’s services for the nation and considered him a benefactor of the country. He said Dr Khan had been sent to the hospital in Karachi for treatment on the request of his family members. He said Dr Talat Abbas, the chief the department in the Aga Khan Hospital, had conducted the surgery of Dr Khan and his condition was improving.
He said Dr Khan would be shifted to his sister’s home in Karachi after further improvement of his health.
The house prayed for early recovery of Dr Khan on the request of Prof Khursheed.
Later, the deputy chairman announced adjournment of the session for Wednesday after the house offered fateha for late Nawab Bugti.
President Pervez Musharraf has convened the session of the upper house apparently to rush the controversial women’s protection bill that has been pending before the National Assembly owing to negotiations between the government and the MMA.
The government has convened the session ignoring a requisition notice submitted by the opposition members to discuss the prevailing political situation in Balochistan after the killing of Nawab Bugti.
Sources told Dawn that the opposition members would press the government to run the proceedings of the house according to the agenda submitted by them in the requisition notice.
Dr Safdar Abbasi of the People’s Party Parliamentarians said that if the government ended the session without discussing the Balochistan situation, the opposition would demand a fresh session under the requisition notice.
He said that according to a ruling of former Senate chairman and current Leader of the House Wasim Sajjad, a requisition notice did not lapse even if the government convened its own session.
He said the government was bound to summon the requisitioned session within 14 days after prorogation of the session convened by it.