ISLAMABAD, Feb 26: A wind of change blew in the Senate on Tuesday as a swift consequence of last week’s general elections with a mini revolt in the former ruling coalition coming as a setback for a besieged President Pervez Musharraf and a virtual reprimand of caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro.

While the announcement of the rebel “like-minded group” of six senators left the once comfortable coalition with only a wafer-thin majority in the upper house, Mr Soomro was the main target of attack from both sides of the house he heads as chairman before opposition leader Mian Raza Rabbani spoke of his victorious Pakistan People’s Party’s agenda for change and national reconciliation at the start of a debate on the post-election political situation.

The formation of the new group -- of former tourism minister Neelofar Bakhtiar and three other Pakistan Muslim League (PML) members, and two from as many allied groups -- and last week’s death of PML senator Mohammad Sarwar Kakar practically left the coalition of President Musharraf’s supporters with 51 members compared to the previous 58 in the 100-seat house.

The group, announced outside the house, is likely to bolster the present 42-strong opposition to 48, just two short of the majority in the present house, which could see more changes with likely re-thinking by independents, though a two-third majority of 67, which can help amend the Constitution, remained distant.

The main surprise of the day’s proceedings was the passage of a resolution with near unanimity opposing Mr Soomro’s reported appointment of his principal secretary as chairman of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority for which PPP senator Enver Baig said the official did not qualify.

This came as a second embarrassment for Mr Soomro after deputy chairman Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali conceded to an opposition demand to refer for consideration to the house business committee MMA senator Kamran Murtaza’s objection to a caretaker prime minister’s order awarding several privileges and benefits he would get as ex-chairman, despite a defence put up by leader of house Wasim Sajjad, who too will be entitled to those privileges as a former Senate chairman.

Mr Baig said the caretaker prime minister had selected Khalid Saeed for a four-year tenure as Nepra chairman, although the official lacked the advertised professional qualifications.

A verbal resolution moved by Mr Rabbani and supported by most members on the treasury benches as well, called the appointment as being “against accepted norms”.

“What a quick change of wind has come about that governmentwalas are also speaking against the government,” remarked MQM Senator Ahmad Ali before the vote amid cheers.

A belated attempt by Information and Broadcasting Minister Nisar A. Memon, to revise the resolution after saying the appointment had not violated any rules was not entertained by the chair and was opposed even by his coalition colleague, former minister Abdul Razzaq Thiem of the PML-F.

Initiating the debate on the political situation, Mr Rabbani called the result of the Feb 18 vote -- despite what he called massive pre-poll and selective polling day rigging -- “a clear mandate and referendum against Musharraf” and a victory of forces standing for democracy, constitutional rule and freedom of judiciary and rejection of economic policies of former prime minister Shaukat Aziz who, he said, had protected the interests of foreign agencies and multinationals, created cartels and was responsible for the flour, sugar and cement crises.

He said that the former prime minister, who left the country before the elections, should be made accountable “before the bar of parliament” for misleading the nation after even the present interim government suspected his economic development figures were cooked up.

Mr Rabbani said the judiciary should be restored to its Nov 2 position to address the concept of trichotomy of power -- executive, parliament and judiciary -- for a democratic functioning of the system.

He call for cooperation among all democratic forces for restoration of the Constitution to its original position, empowerment of parliament by removing its article 58 (2) (b) that gives sweeping powers to the presidency and doing away with the National Security Council so that no future adventurer could topple the system.

He described the Balochistan problem as one of “certain scars” that needed to be addressed and called for an immediate end to the “uncalled for” military operation in the troubled province, release of all political prisoners and fair trial of missing persons if the government had any concrete charges against them.

Speaking for PML, veteran parliamentarian Chaudhry Mohammad Anwar Bhinder denied charge of election-rigging, and said his party accepted the verdict of the people, would play a positive role for the good of the country and people and support any “positive changes” in laws.