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ISLAMABAD: The requisitioned 60th session of the Upper House of Parliament began here on Sunday morning almost 150 minutes beind the schedule. At 12 noon, there were only ten senators sitting on the opposition benches while the treasury benches were totally empty.

Ch. Aitzaz Ahsan immediately after the House convened pointed out that the session had been summoned by the opposition and it was their responsibility to be present to start the proceedings in time. "Politics is not my profession. I come here to take part in national affairs. If the opposition had requisitioned the session, it should have ensured that the sitting started at the appointed hour".

Chairman Wasim Sajjad expressed regrets for the inordinate delay and said that the Senate committee on Sui Gas was meeting, hence the delay.

Hafiz Hussain Ahmad raised the issue of grievance of journalists. "The media is regarded as the fourth pillar of state but it appears that all the pillars of state are crumbling and tottering". APP staffers have been mercilessly removed from service at the whim of one man. This is an extremely 'Jinnati' decision. Perhaps the Information Minister has no say in the matter as in spite of his commitment made on two occasions the APP staffers have not been reinstead".

Information Minister Khalid Ahmad Kharal said that the APP management through an office order on the 15th of August had permitted the removed staffed to resume work in difference to the stay order of the NIRC. As such these staffers have been reinstead. "I am not aware of any other reason.

Raja Zafarul Haq, the leader of the opposition, said the position is not as simple as has been put by the Information Minister. Of the ten APP union office holders, eight were removed and this union represents the entire APP structure except the Lahore and Karachi offices. These people also approached the President. APP is the only national news agency having agreements with other news agencies in the world and thus it has an international aspect. It is not the question of one person. It is the question of the country and has assumed serious proportions.

The NIRC stay order was till the 5th of September but the APP management went to the court and got the stay period reduced till the 23rd of this month. The question is not that of one person's likes or dislikes who got installed short circuit cameras in the building to monitor the working of the staffers. The Information Minister has not issued any order nor he has intervened in the matter. It is the NIRC order and not the orders of the Information Minister.

Making a volte face, the Information Minister said if the NIRC withdrew the stay order then the government could take some action. The APP staffers must withdraw their case from NIRC.

So, it is a legal case now, observed Chairman Wasim Sajjad, and enquired if the government withdrew the orders, would it amount to making the case sub-judice? Would Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan enlighten the House on the subject?

Ch. Aitzaz Ahsan said that there is no bar on the government to withdraw the orders against the APP staffers.

The journalists covering the Senate proceedings then boycotted the proceedings and quietly gathered in the press lounge. There was no reaction from the government side and the Information Minister having made a complete somersault did not come to lounge to face the journalists who were angry and gloomy. However, it was Hafiz Hussain Ahmad who came to the press lounge and listened to the views of the journalists. He was duly briefed by the journalists and he promised to extend all possible help. Earlier, while raising the issue in the House, he along with the opposition members had staged a token walk-out when the journalists walked out of the press gallery.

Chairman Wasim Sajjad observed "This is no rule of law and if the State Minister claims that his party is the torch bearer of the rule of law then it should not be choosey. The ruling under Rule 72-A of the rules of procedure of the Senate clearly lays down that and provides the only procedure that a production order issued by the Chairman is required for the production of the detained members".

Aftab Ahmad Sheikh said the government's consistent policy and practice has been that it choses to bring some senators while keeping the others away from the senate sittings while it totally ignores the production orders in respect of senators to attend the standing committee meetings.

Begum Nasreen Jalil said it is deplorable that the residence and office of the women journalists, Razia Bhatti had been raided in Karachi. The government is making continuous onslaughts on the press besides the elected representatives and ordinary citizens of Karachi.

Sh. Rafiq Ahmad, of the PPP, said that he has been struggling for the freedom of speech and expression for the last 45 years and abhors the action taken against the journalists but the question is that the senators raising points of order raise a new subject and even go to the extent of saying that the four pillars of the state are tottering while discussing the fourth pillar, the print media. This is not a healthy way of conducting the proceedings.