Interesting scenes were witnessed in the Senate as State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan Friday categorically rejected the claims made by information minister that the Prime Minister objected to the conduct of Senate chairman and discussed the issue in the cabinet meeting.
The denial came from the state minister for parliamentary affairs after former Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani blasted the government for casting aspersions against the ruling of Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, barring the information Minister Fawad Chaudhry from attending the proceedings of the current session of the House.
A visibly perturbed Rabbani took serious objection on the unruly remarks made by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary against Sanjrani, saying connotation of the minister that "he would to see" the chairman was meant 'elimination', which cannot be taken light.
"The minister plainly said that Prime Minister [Imran Khan] and his cabinet said that any insult of his ministers was not acceptable. And saying he [the minister] would see the chairman means 'elimination'...it's something which we can't let go. I'm sure the PM mustn't have said it all," Rabbani lamented.
"We may be inexperienced but we're not a broken kite, so trust me that the institution of Parliament will be more stronger and powerful as long as we're here and no one can harm it, as my leader Imran Khan, has a mission which is to give respect and strengthen the state institutions," said the parliamentary affairs minister.
He contradicted the claims made by information minister that Prime Minister Khan and cabinet made objection over the chairman Senate's decision to bar the information minister from attending session of the Upper House, saying the issue was not discussed by the Prime Minister and the cabinet.
Referring to the war of words between information minister and some members of lower and upper houses of Parliament this week, Rabbani said that the powers which do not want to see the Parliament functioning smoothly have succeeded in creating cracks within the building of top legislative body.
"But, let me make it crystal clear that the Parliament has a history of facing the powers which wanted to weaken it, and we're ready to take them on in future to protect the dignity and prestige of the Parliament," he maintained.
He emphasised the need for an across the board accountability of judges and civil as well as military bureaucracy through a federal commission for accountability.
He said that there is no objection over accountability of politicians, as they have been facing it in courts but the accountability should be for everyone - be it the judges, civil bureaucracy or military bureaucracy through a federal commission of accountability - a proposal which he had also floated when he was chairman Senate.
"You can see the cracks on walls of this House. And the cracks, visible on the walls of this building, may not be filled through the blood of Hassan Nasir. The cracks may not be filled through the blood of late Benazir Bhutto and late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, as it seems the forces of popular fascism have been tasked to demolish the constitutional institutions of the state," he warned.
He warned, "If the building of Parliament is collapsed by the forces of popular fascism, very few of the members sitting inside the House will come out alive from the debris if, God forbid, the Parliament crumbles down to the ground."
Giving benefit of doubt to the Prime Minister, he said that the way government reacted to the ruling of the chairman Senate banning a minister from attending the House proceedings, was not even witnessed during dictatorial regimes in the past.
He took serious objection over the remarks of the minister, who said: "if Senate can function without cabinet, the government would also think what it should do which." Rabbani insisted it is an indirect threat that cabinet would bypass the Upper House of Parliament.
Referring to clause 6 of Article 90 of the Constitution, he said that cabinet together with ministers of state shall be collectively responsible to the Senate and National Assembly.
"So if the cabinet boycotts the Senate, again I would say the Prime Minister would not have said it all, the cabinet would be violating the said article and clause of the Constitution," he declared.
Recalling the information minister's presser that the Senate and its chairman are indirectly elected, he said that procedure of Senate elections are defined in the Constitution and this House is elected through the federating units of the country.
"If so, through the same yardstick, I will ask that house next door [National Assembly] how the President of Pakistan is elected...he's also indirectly elected by the Parliament and the provincial assemblies," he contended.
Stretching his arguments a bit further, Rabbani said that the Prime Minister is elected directly as member of National Assembly, but he is elected to the Office of the Prime Minister through the indirect votes of the National Assembly members.
The former chairman Senate said it has never happened before, adding a dictator never dared point finger at the speaker National Assembly or the chairman Senate.
"But today, aspersions are being cast on chairman Senate...is this the right way? Is this the way forward to boost the teething democracy? Again I would say I'm not ready to believe that the Prime Minister and his cabinet have cast such aspersion as they cannot make fun of the Constitution," he maintained.
He conceded that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came into power through the slogan of eradicating the menace of corruption, but said that the people whose corruption stories are explained everyday on floor of the House are already facing cases in courts.
"How can you raise a sub judice matter on the floor of the House? But I don't take refuge here too, and accept I'm a politician and I'm corrupt. You've come to eradicate the menace of corruption and I'm with you here, but I do want to ask a question if there is not anyone to be called corrupt except the politicians," he exclaimed.
"Let there be a federal accountability commission having all stakeholders whether they're politicians or belong to civil bureaucracy, military bureaucracy and judiciary...if everybody is to be tried, let there be one law," he added.
"Let that commission decide and NAB [National Accountability Bureau] should be its subordinate and the commission should compromise members from all institutions. Let it decide whether a reference should be filed or not and with a clear timeframe to give an end to the witch-hunt," he declared.
In an obvious reference to powerful military and judiciary, he said if the government is serious about eradicating the menace of corruption, it has to address the root cause, as mere arrest of politicians, who are easy prey, is not going to serve any purpose.
Responding to the issue, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan rejected the claims made by Rabbani, saying whoever wants to create crack within the Parliament will be eliminated.
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