Govt indecisive on joint session of parliament

ISLAMABAD, September 28 (Internews): The ruling coalition in Pakistan has not decided yet whether or not to hold a joint sitting of the parliament’s two chambers to discuss the security situation despite opposition’s mounting pressure in this context, sources here say.

Similarly, sources in the government said that it was also yet to be decided when to convene an all parties’ conference (APC)  on the government policy on the restive tribal belt.

“Consultations will be completed after Eid-ul-Fitr on these two important subjects and it was quite likely that if the joint sitting of parliament was to be summoned, the proposed APC might not be held then,” an official maintained.

If the government played dilly dallying, opposition parties could go for requisitioning of the National Assembly or the Senate session or even both, a source in the opposition camp said. The former ruling party PML-Q-led opposition had already requisitioned the previous Senate session.

Not only opposition parties, including Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N, which was part of the ruling coalition till last month but also Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema Islam, the ruling coalition ally, had been consistently calling for an APC to debate the government policy on terror and to thrash out a fresh policy to deal with terrorists and militancy in the tribal areas.

When contacted on telephone, Advisor to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Izhar Amrohvi said Sunday that the ministry intended to propose calling of the Senate and National Assembly’s regular sessions on October 17 and October 13 respectively

He pointed out that two to three days before the proposed sessions, summaries would be dispatched to the presidency for formally summoning of the sessions, mentioning the dates.

The new session of the National Assembly will be the first after PML-N parliamentary leader Nisar Ali was made leader of the opposition in place of Pervaiz Elahi of PML-Q, who had already resigned. The PML-N had parted ways with the government after the sacked judges were not reinstated as promised by the Pakistan People’s Party leadership.

The new leader of the opposition had described the presidential address of newly elected President Asif Zardari to the parliament; a clear indication the opposition was to grill the president and the government in the upcoming parliamentary sessions.

The opposition sources said that they would like the government to take the parliament into confidence on President Zardari’s meetings with key world leaders, including US President George Bush.

He expressed his ignorance when asked when the government planned to hold the parliament’s joint sittings or to organise an APC on security issues.

It was quite likely he pointed out, that a weeklong debate on the presidential address would be held in the National Assembly and three to four days similar exercise in the Senate.

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