ISLAMABAD: Citing “clouds” threatening democracy, a leading government ally, Pakhtunkhawa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, passionately urged political parties in the National Assembly on Thursday to immediately form a pro-democracy front to fight the perceived danger.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif joined cheers from both sides of the aisle for Mr Achakzai’s speech in a general debate on the new budget in which he also called for the government and the military to come “on the same page” for democracy, a pact between Pakistan and Afghanistan against allowing sanctuaries for rebels from either country, and interfaith harmony.

Strangely, on the fourth day of the budget debate, which saw some hard-hitting speeches by some female lawmakers from both sides of the house, nobody spoke about this year’s first reported US drone strikes in North Waziristan that killed a number of Uzbek militants based there — a departure from the previous routine of protests over violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty whenever such an attack happened.

Mr Achakzai began his speech with a call to parliamentarians to focus on what he called “clouds hovering over democracy” in Pakistan and appeared referring to the military’s role in politics in the past when he talked of an unexplained “our only dispute with the establishment” and pressed the wish: “May God make our armed forces the best armed forces in the world — as the armed forces and agencies of other countries are.”

In what appeared to be a reference to much speculated recent troubles in the relationship between the civilian government and the military, he urged both Prime Minister Sharif and army chief General Raheel Sharif to “give a clear message to the world together that Pakistan is a democratic country and its political and military leaderships are on the same page”.

Ridiculing Allama Tahirul Qadri for demanding that the army take control of the Islamabad airport for his safety when he arrives there on June 23, Mr Achakzai said, amid cheers: “If I were in place of Nawaz Sharif, I would order that person (Mr Qadri) arrested and sent back to Canada.”

He recalled sacrifices by Pakistani politicians and political workers and said “we are going to fight anyone” who tried to derail democracy.

“Immediately, before anything happens, we should form a pro-democracy front,” he said, suggesting the convening of a joint session of parliament if needed and consultations with opposition politicians like Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Khursheed Ahmed Shah of PPP .

“We have to protect democracy whatever the circumstances,” was the emphatic statement from Mr Achakzai whose party supports the PML-N government in the centre without having a ministry, but is a partner with the PML-N in coalition government in Balochistan with his brother being the provincial governor.

PACT WITH AFGHANISTAN: The PkMAP leader said that he could bring the outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai or contenders Abdullah Abdul­lah and Ashraf Ghani in this weekend’s runoff presidential election to make a pact with Pakistan not to provide sanctuaries to Pakistani armed insurgents in their country if Pakistan made a similar commitment about Afghan armed insurgents and sincerely accepted Afghanistan as a sovereign state.

Such a pact, he said, could help end insurgency in the Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Some female lawmakers like PML-N’s Marvi Memon and PPP’s Shazia Marri seemed to carry the day in defending or denouncing the budget mainly vis-à-vis its impact on the poor people. Ms Marri had brought with her a potato and a tomato she repeatedly showed to the house while blaming the government for high food prices, but received warning from Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, who said bringing or displaying articles which could be described verbally as violating the house rules of procedure.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2014