ISLAMABAD, Oct 30: The Senate on Saturday witnessed some hard-hitting speeches from nationalist leaders who claimed that unity of the federation had been damaged by President Gen Musharraf , which was evident from the resolutions passed by the provincial assemblies on the issue of uniform.
Taking part in the debate on the bill enabling the president to hold two offices simultaneously, senators from Balochistan and the NWFP alleged that Punjab was trying to establish its hegemony over other provinces with the support of armed forces.
Senator Raza Mohammad Raza of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) claimed: "There is a plan to set up a government of one province over the whole country through military." He said the people of Karachi and Lahore were 'supporting' military dictatorship as development plans were being launched only in these two cities.
He said it would be wrong to say that Gen Musharraf wanted to prolong his personal rule as Gen Musharraf as a person was nothing. "Actually efforts are under way to give supremacy to an institution over all other institutions of the country," he said.
The senator termed the bill a violation of Article 6 and said all the supporters of the bill were committing high treason.
Mr Raza also criticized the statement of Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon on Gen Musharraf's uniform.
The senator said terrorists had gathered in tribal areas due to past policies of intelligence agencies and army generals. "The people of tribal areas want to get rid of both, army and terrorists," he added.
He alleged that through the bill on uniform, the basic structure of the Constitution was being changed. He said nationalist parties were demanding a new social contract for the country and fresh elections for the constituent assembly.
The PMAP senator also criticized the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) for supporting the 17th Amendment and accepting Gen Musharraf as president in uniform by Dec 31.
Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Asfandyar Wali opposed the role of army in politics. He stressed the need for strengthening institutions instead of individuals. "We have made institutions subservient to an individual," he regretted.
He said the promise made by Gen Musharraf with the nation that he would relinquish the post of army chief was not being fulfilled. Referring to Gen Ziaul Haq, he said the nation had been asked to support a military dictator in the past to strengthen fundamentalism and now it was being asked to support a "military dictator to rectify the faults of his predecessor".
He said Gen Musharraf's uniform had divided the whole nation as two provinces had passed resolutions in its support while one against it.
Balochistan National Party (BNP) Senator Sanaullah Baloch said that a majority of the people did not want to see Gen Musharraf as president of the country. The Constitution, he said, did not allow an individual to violate laws on the recommendations of a few ministers.
He said the Senate chairman, the speaker and the chief justice were drawing huge salaries, being paid at the cost of millions of poor and naked people, devoid of democracy and justice. He said the federation was not run by a majority, but by a consensus. He said the president favoured Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, ignoring the deprived population of Balochistan, the NWFP and Sindh.
He said the federation could not be strengthened in the presence of a partial president. He regretted that the ruling coalition had made laws in the last two years only to save uniform and to raise salaries of armed forces personnel.
Defending the uniform bill, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan said adoption of the bill would help continue the policies launched by Gen Musharraf for the progress of the country. He quoted various articles of the Constitution in support of the Gen Musharraf's uniform.
PML senator Mushahid Hussain said that in the larger interest of the country, this parliament would have to complete its tenure, which would lead Pakistan to progress and democracy. He said the military had been playing a significant role in the country's political system since 1954.
MMA Senator Dr Ismail Buledi said the proposed bill could not be passed by a simple majority.
PPP Senator Enver Beg said Gen Musharraf had been violating his oath taken at the time of joining army by assuming the office of the president. He said the frequent military rules in the country were the main cause of rising poverty, ethnic divide and law and order situation. He also showed a pamphlet of the PML having a portrait of Gen Musharraf on it. Mr Beg said the treasury members should be ashamed of having the photo of a "serving military general" on the party pamphlet.
Later, the Senate session was adjourned to meet again on Monday morning.