Putting aside the orders of the day Speaker Amir Hussain opened the floor for debate on earthquake tragedy and as expected the opposition dominated the proceedings, staging a token walkout as well.
Leader of the Opposition Maulana Fazlur Rehman delivered the speech of the day, as Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz remain engaged with party members who came to him one by one carrying applications, leaving the task of responding to the charges by the opposition to Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao.
The House met half an hour behind schedule. Why the delay there was no apparent cause except that behind the scene politicking that is buffeting the Capital for the last couple of days might have shifted treasury members' focus away from the House.
Another unusual development was Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain's rather early arrival and his hush-hush conference with Hamid Nasir Chattha. Both then together left the House not to return, thickening speculation that a Chattha-headed national government is in the offing.
Is it the brewing revolt led by the Saraiki Belt members against Shujaat Hussain that is forcing the step toward a national government? Perhaps not. The move could be to put up a united national face before the international community by brining in the parliamentary opposition.
As has become the tradition of the National Assembly of Pakistan the chair opened the floor by inviting the members to speak on point of order, and then to rule that what the members said do not constitute the point of order.
The first to get the mike was Naveed Qamar who sought the speaker's intervention to secure relief for incarcerated former speaker Yusuf Raza Gillani. In violation of jail manual Gillani was not being allowed to see visitors. His visitors were turned away even on the day of Eid, he said.
To this Liaquat Baloch added that the chair should order the government to give Gillani what is due to him as his right under the jail manual. Quipped in Nabeel Gabol: "Mr Speaker the same can happen to you".
Minister of State for Law Shahid Bhinder responded by asking the opposition members to bring the alleged violation to the notice of the court that is trying the former speaker of the National Assembly.
Speaking next, PML-N member Pervaiz Malik talked of Javed Hashmi and asked Amir Hussain to issue the jailed member's production order. By then Qazi Hussain Ahmad had also indicated to the chair that he too would like to speak on the same.
"The Parliament is being ignored," Qazi said, elaborating that what the nation was faced colossal tragedy and billions of rupees have been collected in the name of helping the quake victims the Parliament is out of the loop. "Mr Speaker, you too have been ignored. Time has come that you act to restore the dignity of your office. Javed Hashmi was wrongly punished and Yusuf Raza Gillani is being pressurised for political reasons.
Mr Speaker, take heart, you are the custodian of the House". "I know my duty", that was Amir Hussain, triggering the opposition's token walkout.
As soon as the opposition returned to the House Maulana Fazlur Rehman was given the floor. The Parliament has failed the nation, he charged, adding what the House was doing over the last one month were only words, sweet but empty. The government till to date has not briefed the House on any of the aspects of the earthquake tragedy and its aftermath.
Who sent how much, we don't know? How and where this money would be spent, we do not know. Now that General Musharraf has admitted indifference on the part of international community would it not be fair to conclude that his Foreign Policy is wrong and needed to be reviewed.
Al Qaeda is being put in the picture to justify stationing of foreign troops or to belittle the role of religious parties in the relief work, Maulana Fazl said. He said if meeting 130 days a year is a constitutional obligation of the National Assembly then the Constitution also demands that the President should address the joint session of the Parliament. National Security Council decisions should also be placed before the House for approval.
After the leader of the opposition spoke the parliamentary practice demands that the leader of the House should respond. But Shaukat Aziz preferred that interior minister should offer the official perspective. Sherpao did not accept the charge that opposition has been sidelined.
The prime minister just today was in Balakot along with the NWFP chief minister, he said. As for the international support it was very encouraging, as since the earthquake 600 cargo flights carrying relief goods were received, the minister said, and Nato forces are of technical nature and they are not going to stay on. But the minister had to stop here because of Maghrib prayers, to resume the sitting on Friday.