FROM A RINGSIDE SEAT

The Senate of Pakistan is expected to lend temperance to the tone and tenor of legislation passed by house of original jurisdiction that in this country is the National Assembly.
Traditionally it should act as saucer to cool tea poured from the hot boiling kettle of lower house. It should precipitate serious discussions on issues of national importance. But that has not happened, although it has completed a full year of its parliamentary life next month.
Except for its debate on the nuclear imbroglio on Monday night, which raised the level of debate a little bit, the Senate proceedings have remained a low-key affair. But that debate too was a dirge sung in the emptiness of media coverage. Fear of missing their deadlines forced reporters to leave the press gallery hours before it ended.
Obviously the debate was only partly covered, except for Information minister's winding-up speech, which one could see on the otherwise highly time-conscious television channels good two days later.
The proceeding on Wednesday gave some clue why the upper house of legislation in Pakistan has come to such a sorry pass.
The sitting started one hour behind schedule, with ministerial presence apologetic. There was a short walkout by the opposition also when communications minister Ahmed Ali's remark about the people of Balochistan was deeply resented from senators of that province, reflective of glaring mismatch of perceptions when the government sees the glass half full the opposition sees it half-empty, although reality remains unchanged.
Strangely, it was a question asked by a government senator, Babar Khan Ghauri, that landed the minister in distress.
The minister was asked to state names, designations, place of domicile, educational qualifications and salary of officers in Grade 17 in the communications ministry.
The list was duly placed before the house. It so happened that of the 23 officers none was from Balochistan and only one was from Sindh (Urban).
This question came in the wake of a contentious discussion centered on highways in Balochistan and Gwadar port which senators from that area thought would not serve the interests of their people.
Asked why the Balochistan residents were not employed in his ministry Ahmed Ali, rather unguardedly, remarked to the effect that they lacked merit.
That was enough to spark a strong protest, joined by the entire opposition including the MMA.
In fact, the sitting opened on a sore note. PPPP's Raza Rabbani, on a point of order, raised the issue of prorogation of the last session on January 23.
That day the Senate was prorogued on the order of President Musharraf, at the time it was read out in the house he had left the borders of Pakistan on a foreign visit, and Chairman Soomro who read the order had become the Acting President.
Rabbani said the prorogation was illegal because neither Musharraf could order it nor Soomro could read it.
Leader of the house Wasim Sajjad stoutly defended the government position basing his argument on the point that timeframe for the incident was inconsequential given that there was neither a departure from law nor a deviation from the established parliamentary practice. Chairman Soomro swept the issue under the carpet by promising his review of the matter.
Forty-three questions were on the list but the entire question hour was consumed by the first six questions because of the abounding lack of understanding of rules of procedure and conduct that govern the function of parliament.
Invariably every questioner would make a long speech and then ask a supplementary question, which may not be necessarily relevant.
The presiding officer would keep requesting 'to be brief, to be to the point, to be relevant', but who cares.
Such is the indifference to rules and regulations that a few of the senators believe that the question hour can be lengthened.
Sitting in the cozy ringside seat of the senate press gallery and watching point-scoring presentations one could understand the meaning of obviousness.
There was hardly the realisation of the apocalyptic dimension of the developments unfolding on the national scene.
Probably not many senators heard the president's address to the ulema at Jinnah Convention centre; otherwise the mood would have been more somber and subdued. Or, may be the senators believed they are actors in a pantomime show.