Riaz Hussein Pirzada, a treasury member from 'Seraiki Belt', on Monday arrived 'rather early' for the 11 O'clock National Assembly sitting, and buzzed around the backbenches, showing a newspaper to all and sundry.
So, as if earlier agreed between the two, as soon Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan was over with his criticism of members who pass on their motions to the media before those are taken up, Pirzada stood up on a point of order.
Members seek media coverage of their motions because quite often they are not allowed to present them on the floor, he said. "Last March 23, we were stopped from reaching the parliament but were not allowed to file a motion of breach of privilege". Having said that, he sort of tossed a bombshell.
Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi was recently in UK pleading with the host government to clear the name of his son from the charge of keeping links with some extremist entities, Pirzada said, quoting 'Weekly Pulse'. And then added that that would make easy for all to understand as to who was behind acts of terrorism in Punjab.
Aitzaz Ahsan then joined the issue by asserting that the chief minister should clarify the allegation. Sher Afgan, who apparently provoked Pirzada to make the disclosure, took yet another turn and attacked Aitzaz Ahsan in a rather crude way. But the refutation by State Minister for Law Shahid Bhinder was more sensible.
"Every newspaper account is not authentic," he said, adding that Pervaiz Elahi was in London for medical check-up along with Shujaat. As soon as they learnt of the earthquake tragedy Shujaat immediately returned to Pakistan, the minister said. Speaker Amir Hussain's ruling then was that what Pirzada had said did not constitute a point of order.
Before the House could resume debate on the earthquake tragedy, the Speaker entertained quite a few points of order, and then ruled in each case that whatever the members had said could not be considered as points of order. This has now become a tradition of the Assembly that members are allowed to use the 'point of order' opportunity to ventilate their feelings.
Although the listed agenda including question hour was suspended, the chair allowed two calling-attention notices, one of which was about the bird flu and the other about tax on small housing units in cantonment areas.
As for the bird flu, the concerned minister was not present, and the one who volunteered to offer the official position left the issue almost un-answered. On the issue of taxing small housing units in Cantonments State Minister for Defence Zahid Hamid said the relevant 'authority' has not yet decided 'for or against' on the matter.
As for the debate on the earthquake losses so much has already been said that nothing substantial materialised during the short debate. Woman member Aasiya Azeem, noting that aftershocks persisted and smoke was still rising from the hills of Aali, pleaded for quicker distribution of relief goods to the affected people.
Yasmin Rehman wanted thorough check-up before schools are opened. She also wanted the Defence budget priorities to be rearranged to cater to the pressing need of rehabilitating the earthquake-hit areas. To this Aitzaz Ahsan added that FIRs be registered against all contractors who constructed the buildings which had collapsed.
The debate was progressing at an easy pace, when PPPP leader Amin Faheem, on a point of order, expressed the wish that the prime minister were present so that he could ask: "What is it that the foreign troops can do and our troops cannot?"
To this, treasury member M P Bhandara responded that the so-called foreign 'troops' were, in fact, doctors and engineers.
"Why foreign doctors. We are proud of our army doctors ", Amin retorted.
By then Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had arrived in the House. For a while it appeared that he would speak. But he did not. He is expected to wind up the debate on Tuesday.