ISLAMABAD - The Senate Friday paid rich tributes to the outgoing President Asif Ali Zardari through a unanimous resolution for his sixth and last address to the joint sitting of the Parliament on June 10 that marked historic transfer of power from one civilian government to another.
The Upper House, which was prorogued sine die, carried out normal business largely debating on the Presidential address and vision and strategy of President Zardari for strengthening democracy in the country.
Main opposition party, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, warned the government against systematic efforts to derail democracy and called for unity among political parties to foil such attempts.
PPP central leader Mian Raza Rabbani while taking part in discussion on Presidential address to the joint sitting of the Parliament said an analysis of the current situation shows there were threats to the constitution of the country. He said the day after a leader talked of a possible dissolution of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly, the demand for calling out Army in Karachi under Article 245 of the Constitution was made.
He said whenever Article 245 has been invoked, the enforcement of the law has gone beyond the area where the Army was called out. He said overall such a situation was being created which affects three provinces excluding Punjab. He warned if the system was derailed, a long struggle would be required for restoration of democracy.
He said through the National Security Council, the supremacy of civil institutions on security matters was being surrendered to the military organisations. He accused the government of ignoring the Parliament and regretted that the Adviser on Foreign Affairs did not turn up to make a policy statement before the House despite repeated demands.
Former Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri sought a ban on political parties having militant wings. Describing Karachi as the economic jugular vein of the country, he said it was ruthlessly being attacked. He said the political parties should be asked to abolish militant wings and those who fail to comply should be proceeded against after placing ban on them.
Zahid Khan of ANP accused the government of concealing facts from the Parliament. He said it continued to tell lies about power generation. He said he would investigate the payment of Rs 500 billion for clearance of circular debt, in his capacity as Chairman of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Water and Power.
Jehangir Badr of PPPP conceded that the PPP government could not deliver to the people during its five years tenure. He folded his hands to apologise to the PPP activists and the people of Pakistan.
Jaffar Iqbal of PML-N said Asif Ali Zardari took unconstitutional decisions while holding the office of the President. He said there was no room for appointment of a deputy prime minister in the constitution, but the office had been given to PML-Q. He said Zardari made it sure that terrorists and murderers convicted by courts are not executed throughout his tenure.
Earlier, the entire opposition led by PPP staged a walkout from the house as a mark of protest against the killing of Zafarullah Khan on the bye-election day and the abduction of a senior BNP-A leader.
Daud Achakzai of ANP raising the issue in the House said his relative Zafarullah Khan was killed on the day bye-elections were held, but said a case had not yet been registered. He said a senior BNP-A leader was missing and announced to stage walkout as a mark of protest.
Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan observed that both non-registration of a case and the abduction of BNP-A leader were alarming. He announced that the entire opposition would stage a walkout against it. Haji Ghulam Ali of JUI-F alleged that director and assistant director of Naval Intelligence in Karachi were involved in incidents of kidnapping.
Meanwhile, as many as 40 opposition senators have submitted a requisition in the Senate Secretariat after its failed attempts in making the Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz available to take the house into confidence on the government’s policy on national security and foreign affairs.