ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-N kept away from the National Assembly for a full day on Friday in protest over the government’s handling of a controversial memo that led to the resignation of Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States as the house passed two government bills for energy levies before coming to a quiet end to a hot 12-day session.
The boycott was in continuation of the party’s walkout from the house on Thursday when it felt dissatisfied with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s explanation of the resignation by ambassador Hussain Haqqani at his demand and despite his announcement that an inquiry at the “highest level” by a committee would be held into the origin of the memo critical of Pakistan’s military leadership, which both government and the envoy have said in the past was fabricated by a US Pakistani-American businessman.
Mr Gilani remained in the house on Friday for an unusually long time but did not speak on this issue, which got only a brief mention when a member of the opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Mohammad Laeq Khan, said amid cheers from the treasury benches that his party would not become a party to use the memo, which businessman Mansoor Ijaz sent to then US military chief in May, as part of conspiracy to topple the elected government.
However, despite PML-N’s defiance and some angry exchanges before and after Thursday’s walkout, Water and Power Minister Naveed Qamar announced his acceptance of some amendments proposed by PML-N members along with some non-binding recommendations from the Senate — and he then moved those amendments — in the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess Bill he piloted on behalf of Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh to provide for the imposition of a cess from companies or consumers to finance infrastructure projects such as for the import of gas from Iran and Turkmenistan, import of liquefied natural gas import and enhancing liquefied petroleum gas supply.
The second legislation — the Petroleum Products (Petroleum Levy) (Amendment) Bill — also piloted by Mr Qamar on behalf of the finance minister — further amends the Petroleum Products (Petroleum Levy) Ordinance of 1961 to empower the government to revise the levy on the basis of international prices and to add or delete certain petroleum products from a relevant fifth schedule of the existing law.
Earlier, several female members of the house from parties in the ruling coalition complained of prevailing discrimination and violence against women as they spoke to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women designated by a 1999 resolution of the UN General Assembly and were followed by an assurance by the chief whip of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Religious Affairs Minister Khurshid Ahmed Shah that the government would not tolerate any excess against women and minority communities.
The minister used the occasion for an appeal to the Senate to endorse a private bill passed by the National Assembly on Tuesday to provide for heavy penalties for anti-women practices like forced marriages, the so-called “marriage with the holy Quran” and depriving them of inheritances.
This he did in response to a complaint from Pakistan Muslim League-Q’s Kashmala Tariq about the lapse in the upper house ofan earlier pro-women bill passed by the lower house.
It was PPP’s Azra Fazal Pechuho, a sister of President Asif Ali Zardari, who initiated the discussion on what she called “bigotry and violence” faced by women in the country inside and outside their homes, including the so-called “karokari” and other forms of honour killings, and called upon lawmakers to join the UN campaign against violence on women.
Awami National Party’s Bushra Gohar demanded nullification of the result of a by-election won by her own party on Thursday for a provincial assembly seat in the Kohistan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa province, in which she said women were barred from voting under an agreement reached between contesting parties at the local level at the office of the district coordination officer.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Shagufta Sadiq said violence against women was increasing and called for the use of education syllabi and the platform of mosque to prevent the trend.
The house passed a motion moved by Mr Khursheed Shah to authorise the house speaker to form a committee representing all parties to probe complaints of delay of PIA flights bringing back Haj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia, before Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, who chaired the day’s proceedings, read out a presidential order proroguing the session.
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