Repeated exchange of hot words between federal ministers and PML-N legislators is getting out of hand. In the latest episode on Wednesday, things came to a head when Usman Kakar of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and some others from Balochistan moved a call attention notice to complain about the slow pace of work and alleged use of substandard material for the construction of Quetta Airport. That led to a shouting match between the PkMAP Senators and the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Khan who told the other side that their party was an ally of the previous PML-N-led government for five years but they never bothered to question its ally for the delay. Not the one to stay quiet, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry jumped in to the fray, resorting to his favourite theme. He blamed, by name, leaders of all major opposition parties for lack of uplift work, once again calling them looters and plunderers of national wealth. Reacting to his harsh language, members of the opposition staged a walkout, demanding an apology from the minister.
Unfortunately, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, catapulted into that position by an unexpected development, showed his inexperience in failing to manage the situation in a proper manner. Instead of waiting for the two sides to sort out the issue between them, he banned the Information Minister from attending the ongoing session of the House unless he tendered an apology for this remarks. The minister stood his ground, backed by the support of Prime Minister Imran Khan at a cabinet meeting. The PM, however, tasked a senior party figure, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, to have a conversation with the Senate Chairman to resolve the issue in an amicable manner. Hopefully, the two sides have learnt their lessons and would try to ensure smooth running of Senate affairs. Needless to say, the job of any opposition is to give hard time to the government. And given the acrimony between the PTI and PML-N, it is not surprising if the latter loses no opportunity to lash out at the treasury benches. The PPP though has adopted the right policy of supporting the government where it deems necessary and to make a common cause with the Nawaz League at other times.
The ministers need to act with a greater sense of responsibility, and stop using unparliamentary language against members of opposition parties, which does no service either to the ruling party or the image of Parliament. The Information Minister insists since his party came to power vowing to clean the Augean stables, it cannot put the issue on the backburner. No one is saying those accused of corrupt practices should be spared, only that harping on the corruption tune vitiates the atmosphere unnecessarily. The National Accountability Bureau and the courts are already pursuing various high profile corruption cases. The government would be wise to focus on delivering its other promises of improving governance, establishing rule of law and lifting the disadvantaged sections of society out of poverty. For the accomplishment of its agenda, it needs the help of Parliament. So far, not a single legislation has been passed except for the finance bill. And after three months of the national elections, most parliamentary committees remain to be formed. It is about time the government lets the relevant institutions deal with the corruption question and gets on with the business of governance backed by required legislation.
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