Pakhtoonkhwa and Pakistan
The name Pakhtoonkhwa is not necessarily anathema to Pakistan, but a subtle
reminder of the PML(N) mindset was in evidence Wednesday when the party�s
MPA from Mardan, Abdus Subhan, showed to the House that it may be so.
Najmuddin Khan, a PPP back-bencher, is an exceedingly vocal and entertaining
fellow. He sends waves of amusement in the House every time he comes to his feet.
When he rose up on Wednesday to present his Call-Attention notice, the
members across the House greeted him with cheers.
I thank the Pakhtoohkhwa-wallahs to beat their desks, he observed. There was
surely a veiled message in the remark in as much as he is one of the six MPAs who
have filed a motion in the assembly for the change of NWFP's name.
Won't you thank the Pakistan-wallahs also?', came the question from Abdus
Subhan. Najmuddin was not loath offering his thanks to the Pakistan-wallahs too.
As the treasury and the opposition members avoided clashing with each other in
spite of a number of opportunities, the general feeling in the Press Gallery was that
everybody was saving up for the big day on Thursday, when the stormy resolutions
would be tabled.
Although the agenda for Thursdays business was being kept secret, the omens were
in the air on Wednesday. Perhaps for the first time during the current assembly
session, the ANP�s one-man demolition squad, Farid Khan Toofan, referred to
the province as Pakhtoonkhwa. He was responding to an adjournment motion
tabled by Abdur Rahman Khan.
The ANP's Haji Mohammad Adeel, who once used to hold the entire House a
hostage to his breath, but who has now gone on the quieter side due to his status as
the deputy speaker, is one of the movers of the Pakhtoonkhwa resolutions.
On Wednesday he backed Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao�s suggestion to admit the
National Finance Commission report 1996 for a full-house debate, and while
doing so he sped past the law minister from his own party, Bashir Ahmad Bilour,
who was obviously trying to respond to the proposal in positive.
The NFC was announced by a presidential proclamation on February 12, the very
month in which the elections took place�, Sherpao said. �We asked the
government during the budget session to place this award in the House. All the
signatories to the award were unelected people. Balochistan rejected it, Sindh
rejected it, but here the chief minister said the award was acceptable, and that the
province would get its share in the federal funds. We were of the opinion that it
was detrimental to the interests of the province. Today the negative effects of the
award are becoming visible�.
Sherpao said since the award was valid for five years, it was expected to cause
extensive damage to NWFP�s economy. He suggested a House debate on the issue,
arguing that perhaps the members would be able to come up with suggestions
which the government could adopt.
Before the minister for law and parliamentary affairs could respond to Sherpao�s
proposal, Haji Adeel got up on a point of order. The minister, Bashir Bilour, tried
to prevent Adeel from speaking, arguing that first he should be allowed to make
his reply. But if you can stop Adeel, you can stop history.
Without listening to his minister, Adeel went on to support the proposal, and then
went a step further to suggest at least two days for the debate �in view of the
importance of the issue�. At his heels followed another ANP MPA, Mian
Muzaffar Shah. He also backed the proposal, adding that the issue deserved a
thorough debate.
When Bashir Bilour finally made his reply, it sounded as if his decision to allow the
debate had been dictated by the two ANP MPAs, although we know that it was
not. Bilour even tried to be sarcastic towards Sherpao, reminding him of the
PPP�s failure to negotiate a new NFC award in 1996.
These ripples of a behind-the-scenes affinity between the PPP and ANP members
may rise into a storm on Thursday when the Pakhtoonkhwa motions are tabled.
Members of the Press Gallery expect a split within the ruling coalition, with the
PML(N) members lining up to beat the resolutions.
Talk to any ANP worker or minister, and you will come back with the impression
that it is Mian Nawaz Sharif, not Wali Khan who is the real Rahbar of the party.
If PML(N) puts up a stiff resistance to the resolution, Sharif�s image may get a
drubbing.
And the signs of resistance are already there. If there is no overnight change of
hearts, the PML(N) is expected to make the best of what is being viewed by
observers as a deliberate effort to break the opposition�s ranks. While the ANP
and PPP movers of the resolution are calling for the name Pakhtoonkhwa, JUI�s
Akram Durrani and independent Pir Mohammad, both of the opposition benches,
prefer the name Pakhtoonistan. Back to refering page.
