LAHORE, Sept 22: Cruel thieves have created an embarrassing situation for Law Minister Raja Basharat by taking away his car from his Cantonment residence.

The incident has provided the opposition with a justification to criticize the government for the deteriorating law and order situation in the country's biggest province.

And, the law minister, who has also been delegated powers of the home minister, a portfolio which otherwise is with Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, is unable to defend the working of the police.

Before personally experiencing something unknown to him so far, Raja has very faithfully been defending the police no matter how serious the complaint. But he carefully selected the words to answer a point of order raised by an opposition member in the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday.

PPP's Rana Aftab said in the house if a minister's car could be stolen, the vulnerability of the common man could be well imagined. The point was not off-base. The minister admitted that his car had been stolen from the house he had been living in before shifting to his GOR-1 residence.

"This is a challenge to the police", Raja said. The police would have immediately "compensated" the minister through its magic skills if the thieves had taken away something else like money or ornaments.

A car with a specific chassis number and an engine number cannot be duplicated. To be able to prove its efficiency, the police would have to recover the original car. And it will be a miracle if the minister gets it back -- with all its valuable parts still in it.

If the thieves have put the minister in a difficult position, the minister has put the police in the dock, saying the stealth of his car is a challenge for the long hand of the law.

Opposition legislators miss no opportunity to criticize the uniform of President Musharraf and the "army" of ministers inducted into the Punjab cabinet. On Wednesday, it was Asad Muazzam who took up the matter, though it had no direct link with the subject he wanted to discuss.

During a general debate on the special education, he said though there is a shortage of water across the country because of less rains, "ministers are in abundance -- thanks to the dark clouds sown on the political sky by the uniform of Gen Musharraf".

"It's raining ministers", said the young legislator when the house was without quorum and some of those present were letting out loud yawns. When the opposition member was making references to the uniform, arrangements were being made for a meeting in Jeddah between MMA President Qazi Husain Ahmed and exiled former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif.

The MMA leader has gone to Saudi Arabia to participate in a conference, but he wanted to make a better use of the opportunity by exchanging views with the leader who was banished to the kingdom in December 2000.

The MMA and the PML-N, which is a major component of the ARD, want to join hands to build up pressure on President Musharraf to quit as army chief, as enjoined by the 17th constitutional amendment.

Whether it will be possible for the two alliances to work together -- and if so, how -- will crystallize after the meeting, expected to be held at dinner. The MMA leader is likely to give details of the meeting on his return to Pakistan on Thursday (today).

Asad Muazzam said there are already countless ministries but a new one -- the ministry for special education -- has been carved out unnecessarily with a Rs400 million budget.

Special Education Minister Qudsia Lodhi just laughed off the comment. Jalaluddin Dhakku, who was in the chair, could not hold back his comment on the inquorate house, and said only those people were present who had expressed their desire to take part in the debate.

"I'll allow the house to go on even until midnight if legislators want to take part in the debate", elderly Dhakku said. Environment Minister Makhdoom Ashfaq will be doing a great favour to the people of this province by honouring his word that two-stroke engines will be banned by the end of the year.

These engines are regarded as a major source of pollution -- and a large number of diseases. In fact, such a step should have been taken long ago. But, better late than never.