ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: The government on Friday strategically disarmed the opposition from raising any noticeable protest in the House on the issue of President Gen Musharraf's uniform by introducing a motion to discuss law and order situation in the country.
Despite some feeble protests on the floor of the House, the combined opposition took the government's bait and the Bill to allow President Musharraf to hold another office was introduced by the Law Minister Wasi Zafar.
The House ran through the agenda of the day in less than 30 minutes before the deputy speaker, Sardar Yaqoob, allowed the opposition to vent its feelings on law and order as it demanded through points of order as soon as the proceedings had begun after a one hour delay from the stipulated time.
The delay was caused as the ruling coalition was holding a parliamentary party meeting to devise a strategy to introduce the bill termed as controversial by the opposition. When the proceedings started, the 'Question Hour' was dispensed away by the speaker.
The speaker also dropped a calling attention notice by MNA Hanif Abbassi and other opposition members to draw attention of the communication minister to a "matter of urgent public importance regarding levy of toll tax of Rs45 per vehicle at Toll Plaza, Sattra Meel Islamabad-Rawalpindi from the locals and the people of Hazara division causing grave concern among the public."
MNA Abbassi did not move the motion as he wanted the speaker to give floor to Maulana Fazlur Rehman to speak on the terrorist incidents in Multan and Sialkot.
The opposition's resignation and ineffectiveness in devising an effective strategy to challenge the government on President Musharraf's uniform was echoed loudly enough only by MNA Tehmina Daultana who satirically told the treasury benches to keep President Musharraf in uniform for life if they liked but to atleast improve the governance in the country.
Ms Tehmina's resigned satire was also visible when she said that all the treasury members should also wear the uniform. "Bring them all in uniform," she said while referring to the treasury benches.
In her verbal assault, Tehmina also said that treasury benches were resorting to discuss trivial matters while people were dying frequently in terrorist incidents.
Meanwhile, the parliament's cafeteria was abuzz with the lacklustre performance of the opposition parties in what was described as one of the rare days when the government had outwitted them legally through its minister for parliamentary affairs, Dr Sher Afgan, who had proposed in the supplementary order of the day that the "House may discuss the Law and Order situation in the country".
Peoples Party Parliamentarian's Aitezaz Ahsan, tried to do some brief "filibustering" by pointing out the contradiction of Dr Sher Afgan who while recommending rejection of opposition's adjournment motions had said that law and order was a provincial subject.
"If he (Dr Afgan) wants, law and order can be discussed but if the opposition raises the issue, it becomes a provincial matter," he said. Aitezaz tried to cover up opposition's visible lack of street power during the previous five years by questioning the government's recent ban on public congregations and said the real motive behind the restriction was not to let the people agitate the uniform issue through public rallies and protests.
Our Staff Reporter adds: Pakistan Muslim League-N MNA Tehmina Daultana on Friday staged a walkout from the National Assembly when Deputy Speaker Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob did not allow her to speak on a point of order.
Interestingly, no one from her own party supported her when she staged the walkout saying that she would speak outside the Parliament House if the deputy speaker did not give her the floor.
Chief whip of the People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) Syed Khursheed Shah went outside the assembly hall to bring Ms Daultana back. Eye witnesses told Dawn that first, Ms Daultana refused to come to the hall, but later she accepted Mr Khursheed Shah's request when he assured her that if the speaker did not give her the floor, the whole ARD would stage a walkout. On this assurance, she returned to the House.
Soon after her return, the deputy speaker gave floor to opposition leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman to open a debate on the motion presented by the government on Gen Musharraf's uniform.
However, Syed Khursheed Shah requested Maulana Fazlur Rahman to request the deputy speaker to give floor to Ms Daultana. It was on the opposition leader's request that Ms Daultana got time to speak on law and order situation and Gen Musharraf's uniform on point of order.
The interesting aspect of the whole scenario is that almost all the top leadership of the ARD, including Amin Fahim and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, was sitting in the house but no one spoke in favour of Ms Daultana, when she was arguing with the deputy speaker.