in distant future, but within this December-January period. Though quorum issues have been chronic throughout the last four and a half years of the present National Assembly, but it had compounded since last August as the then Leader of the House was deposed and sent packing. Eversince, Nawaz Sharif has been down, but not out.
The opposition launched its last ditch effort to remove former premier Sharif as PML-N party head through legislation of the Parliament. Opposition could only muster 98 against treasury’s 163 on this days. Now some of the leading opposition lights would impatiently look towards the apex court, if and when it reviews this law.
The big question for the treasury for now is how to deal with 20 plus silent 'defectors' who didn’t turn up in the Lower House even after repeated reminders. Is Raza Hayat Hiraj their leader? But he seems too small a fry to lead the pack. For now, the PML-N top notch leaders estimate that within a few days and weeks these silent defection suspect legislators could be ‘blessed’ with a voice. Soon, they are sure, the 20-odd defection suspects would come in the open under the banner of a new leader. That rebel leader would immediately start work to test the ruling party’s parliamentary party strength. A noticeable weakness, major defection would set the ball rolling as challenges in the greater political arena still haunt the Sharif-Abbasi rule for weeks and months to come. A major take away from Tuesday’s National Assembly proceedings – no major defection in the PML-N ranks despite predictions and doomsday scenario painted by certain quarters. But the wider picture is not that rosy. A rough estimate puts the actual figure of legislators actually being termed as silent defectors to 20 plus. Those who didn’t turn up would be issued show cause notices. That would give political adversaries to exploit this weakness and crack. At the same time, the situation at hand has provided the PML-N an opportunity to gauge its weaknesses and strengths that prompted these open and silent defections to prepare for any such eventuality to come in the weeks and months ahead.
The National Assembly bustled with unusual activity on Tuesday evening. Everyone could predict the fate of opposition’s bill from the word go especially when the attendance at PML-N’s rare parliamentary meeting counted 160 plus members. Opposition’s leading lights – PPP’s Khursheed Shah, Naveed Qamar and PTI’s Shah Mahmood – knew the fate of their bill. But they didn’t want to miss the media frenzy crafted around the whole activity. Naveed Qamar, despite being mover of the bill, was brief and to the point. Shah Mahmood’s discourse was laden with verbocity, political rhetoric and nothing more. He was just looking to avail as much time as possible. In the process, he also tested patience of speaker Ayaz Sadiq who was all geared up to meet challenges of the day. A smooth proceeding without any opposition’s boycott or protest was top agenda in the mind of the Speaker. And he got it in the end. Law Minister Zahid Hamid, under pressure from Faizabad sit-in protestors to resign, was however cold and smooth as ever as he countered opposition’s legislative bill.
But Minister Saad Rafiq stole the limelight from treasury’s side as he asked the combined opposition not to toe any hidden agenda to weaken the democratic dispensation. The opposition, especially back benchers, were not in a mood to listen. Same was the case with treasury rear benches who seemed more charged up, rowdy and nasty on this day. It was a sort of tit for tat as both sides continued to taunt, raise slogans against each other throughout the two hours plus proceedings on the bill. Former Premier Zafarullah Jamali however remained the lone open deserter of the ruling camp. He stood for the bill siding with the opposition parties. An aging Jamali sahib has already made it known to everyone he is quitting the PML-N. But what did he get from such an open display of defiance for the Sharif. Many suspect a role as caretaker premier for 2018. Is it worth it Jamali sahib?
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Foreign funding case: ECP summons PTI’s finance secretary on Dec 12
By Our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: In a new turn to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) foreign funding case, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Tuesday summoned the party’s Finance Secretary Sardar Azhar Tariq Khan, himself an advocate, to appear in-person on December 12 (the next date of hearing) in connection with the ‘purported financial evidence’ submitted by the PTI before the forum.
The ECP bench passed the order after PTI yet again sought adjournment of the foreign funding case on the plea that their senior lawyer is unwell. Azhar Tariq will, obviously be questioned about the party's reply (defence).
During proceedings, when questioned by the bench as to why the PTI had not submitted their reply, the PTI junior lawyer apologised and instead sought adjournment of the case. He pleaded that the next date of hearing should be after December 5, when a single bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is set to hear the PTI writ petition, challenging the ECP jurisdiction to hear the foreign funding case.
Quite interestingly, while the party has challenged the commission’s jurisdiction, it also filed an application for investigation into the foreign funding of other political parties, particularly, PML-N and PPP and submitted some documentary evidence as well.
On the last hearing, the ECP had directed PTI to submit their reply to the petitioner’s analysis of their evidence submitted before the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Election Commission.
The petitioner Akbar S Babar, who has been one of the closest aides of Imran and a PTI founding member, had submitted a detailed analysis of the PTI evidence during the last hearing, which he claimed was mostly concocted and fabricated and did not provide any evidence of multiple illegal foreign sources of funds or any money trail the evidence of which has already been shared with the ECP. Babar had filed an application in the ECP, alleging irregularities and corruption in handling of the party’s foreign funds.
Babar’s lawyer Syed Ahmed Hasan pleaded that PTI had consistently employed delaying tactics, which should not be tolerated anymore.