However, the Minister did not tell that two adjournment motions on important issues moved by Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) could not be taken up simply because long speeches by treasury and opposition on points of order have consumed most of the time. The debate on motion moved for discussion in the House on the incident of bomb blast and subsequent arson in Bolton Market of Karachi could not be taken up during the entire session despite being on agenda on every day.
An adjournment motion PML-N moved for discussion on the new immigration policy of the US with respect to inclusion of Pakistan among list of the countries whose citizen have to undergo screening on arrival at the US could not be taken up.
Adjournment motion MQM moved was also not taken up despite it wanted a House discussion on the issue. Besides historic legislation, another thing, which goes to the credit of this session was confrontation between opposition and treasury on implementation of Supreme Court verdict on National Reconciliation Ordinance. The distrust between the two signatories of Charter of Democracy (CoD) was a matter of concern for people and not a good sign for strengthening the democracy.
The low attendance during the entire session was enough to reflect the interest of the Parliamentarians in the proceedings of the House and this was also evident from the last sitting. Only few members and Ministers were present in the House during the question hour session and subsequent walkout by the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) in protest against rigging in Swat almost left the House deserted.
Ameer Muqam of PML-Q who hails from the areas of election led the walkout following a speech in which he accused the government of using state machinery and all other tactics to have the desired result of by-elections. He along with other members stormed out of the House and they were brought back by Minister for Labour Khurshid Shah on the directives of the Chair.
Two privilege motions were referred to the privileges Committee while Minister for Water and Power responding to a calling attention notice said that tariff for agriculture tube wells was uniform and huge subsidy of 25 percent being given to the sector was apart from this.
His reply entered the most interesting phase when he mentioned about Prime Minister's hometown Multan and described it the 'Fruit Basket.' That is why 83,000 tube-wells, out of total 237,000 in the country, are in Multan.
PML-N leader Tehmina Daultana on a point of order called upon the government to review the foreign policy and avoid getting the dollars compromising our sovereignty, integrity and dignity.
She said that the government should part its ways on the war against terrorism as it is war of America not of Pakistan. She said that the United States is making way to hold dialogue with Taliban while we are not ready to talk to our people. The point of order session was made very interesting by Daultana who in the same tone congratulated the Prime Minister and indirectly castigated President Asif Ali Zardari. She was hopeful that Gilani would save the system by implementing the court verdict and tried to convince him that Constitution does not allow immunity to the President for the crimes committed long ago. Gul Muhammad of PPP on a point of order responded her by targeting Punjab government for construction of a dam on Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal viewing it as an effort to make Sindh barren.
Shahid Khaqan Abbassi moved a privilege motion on a news item that quoted member planning of the CDA informing it (CDA) allotted plots to Parliamentarians in the new sector but they have been pressurising for plots in the developed sector of I-8.
Another privilege motion was also against the CDA and this too was by the PML-N leader Abid Sher Ali who said that CDA has declared him defaulter in case of a flat, which he never possessed. Both the privilege motions were sent to the concerned committees by the Speaker. The National Assembly approved the Institute of Space Technology Bill 2009 with a majority vote. Mehreen Anwar Raja, Minister of State for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs presented the bill clause by clause in the house. No amendment was suggested from any side and the house passed the bill with majority vote. The questions members asked during the question hour were mostly about social sector focused on health and agriculture sectors with treasury claiming to have been working on a comprehensive programme to control HIV/AIDS.
Minister for Health Makhdoom Shahabuddin consumed whatever he had to convince the members that how the elected government was making tireless effort to improve the health sector. However, the paltry budgetary allocation for HIV AIDS control was not only challenging his claim but was making a mockery of him.
The member looked totally dissatisfied with the response of the Minister that Rs 94 million earmarked in the current budget for this purpose was enough to prevent the fast spreading deadly disease. The Minister said that pharmaceutical manufacturing unit is being set up in Lahore in collaboration with an Argentinean company with an investment of one billion rupees for AIDS-specific drugs.