ISLAMABAD, Jan 27: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Tuesday celebrated its induction in the federal cabinet by introducing a private constitution amendment bill focussed on provincial autonomy with the consent of the PPP-led coalition government, which has delayed its own plans to bring a comprehensive amendment package at the cost of its credibility.

The bill came only a day after two MQM ministers were sworn in. The move formally gives Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s 10-month-old government a simple majority in the 342-seat lower house which it had lost after the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) withdrew from the coalition in August.

The MQM had brought a similar private bill in the previous National Assembly when it was a partner in the ruling coalition of then-president Pervez Musharraf’s loyalists, but was persuaded by coalition leader Pakistan Muslim League-Q to defer the move with the promise of a possible accommodation in an official bill that never came.

But the new bill, sponsored by nine of the MQM’s 25 members of the house, received apparently a warmer reception this time with a loud shout of “no objection” from Law and Justice Minister Farooq H. Naek to let the draft go to a house standing committee amid desk-thumping cheers from MQM benches.

There was no immediate indication from the PPP whether it would support the new bill in the standing committee as well and when it finally comes to the house for consideration or will seek to incorporate parts of the draft in its own promised constitutional package.

The 60-clause bill seeks what it calls in a statement of objects and reasons “complete autonomy (for the provinces) as in vogue all over the world and as envisioned by the founding fathers” of the country, but does not deal with the currently more pressing problems of autocratic presidential powers that were assumed by General Musharraf and legitimised by the controversial Seventeenth (Constitution) Amendment, which the winners of the Feb 18, 2008 elections have committed to undo by another constitutional amendment.Among other things, the bill revises the present Federal Legislative List in the constitution’s Fourth Schedule and seeks abolition of the Concurrent Legislative List.

The PML-N has proposed a bill for the repeal of the 17th Amendment but is yet to bring it to parliament, where a constitutional amendment needs a two-thirds majority in both the National Assembly and the 100-seat Senate for its passage.

The house on Tuesday also agreed to the introduction of two private bills by PPP member Yasmeen Rehman -- one seeking to provide for quality control on baby foods and cosmetics, including the constitution of a quality control board and establishment of quality check laboratories by manufacturers, and the other for the grant special concessions to disabled “special citizens” in fares of all modes of public and private transport.

Earlier, Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour almost shocked the house by virtually ruling out the bridging the Pakistan Railways’ deficit of up to Rs52 billion.

Responding to a call-attention notice, he assured the house of efforts to reduce the deficit but said the reduction “will not be much” and could be between Rs2 billion and Rs2.5 billion.

The minister, who blamed the deficit mainly on expenses on staff and police, hospitals and educational institutions run by the railways, estimated what he called internal deficit of the system at Rs31 billion, including Rs16 billion of the last year, and said the total deficit would amount to Rs52 billion by including “external” obligations.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Babar Awan, on behalf of the government, hailed the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh and thanked the newly elected Bangladesh parliament for passing a resolution to pay tributes to assassinated PPP leader Benazir Bhutto.

“We are thankful to the parliament, prime minister and other leadership of Bangladesh for sharing our grief,” the minister said and added: “The hearts of the people of Bangladesh and Pakistan throb together.”

Several members called for immediate steps to counter what was called a “dangerous level of pollution” of sea near Karachi before the house was adjourned until 4pm on Wednesday.