MUZAFFARABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Razaz Gilani while addressing a rally said he was appointing Aslam Gill as his special assistant.

Prime Minister Gilani added that what happened to Aslam Gill during the Senate elections was unfair and that he would not only be a special assistant but would also have the status of Minister of State.

“This will send a message to those against our ideology that the PPP will continue to support it’s workers,” Prime Minister Gilani said.

          Did he gain or lose , I ask you?

There has been lot of hue and cry in President House in particular and other circles in general because our President Asif Ali Zardari has taken very strong exception about failure of Aslam Gill who despite all assurances from the concerned MPs has failed to be inducted as a senator. Zardari has very openly and loudly said that he is going to find out as to who betrayed him and did not vote for Gill who had been fully assured that he will be a senator but unfortunately when the actual time came for electing the senators he has not been honored as promised and instead ignored resulting that poor Gill who was all set to be a senator simply could not make it. PPP simply could not pocket such an insult.

At this point of time when PPP has entered the last year of the present term of rule it had tried its best to capture maximum seats in Senate so that its presence and strength can be felt in the upper chamber which will remain intact and has nothing to do with the new general elections scheduled in 2013 meaning by that PPP can enjoy permanence so far as Senate is concerned. Senate is very important in any case simply because it is the upper chamber of our Parliament. Any bill moved and passed by National Assembly which is the lower chamber of our Parliament shall have to be sent to Senate for approval before the bill can become a law of the country so from that point of view, Senate has the leverage and it can thwart any move of National Assembly if it is found to be conflicting with the interests of the country etc.

PPP has eventually emerged as the most leading party in the Senate where it enjoys majority, or more correctly, bulk majority so from that point of view it is not of much concern whether it had Gill also as a senator or not but what matters the most is that how and why those promised that they will vote for Gill did not vote. Any honest person with no reference to any political party cannot and should not promise something which he / she is not going to own at a later stage. Isn’t it pity that those PPP supporters who assured President Zardari to vote for Gill had kept him in complete and just dodged Zardari on the day when election came? Shouldn’t they be investigated and punished accordingly? Doesn’t it also prove that there are some respectable persons who are respectable so far as the word is concerned and nothing beyond it otherwise promise is promised to be kept and not violated? Zardari and his junta must keep a close eye on such type of people whose integrity is doubtful.

Reverting back to the caption, in all fairness I am to enumerate merits and demerits of both the positions so that State Minister can be compared with Senator and eventually it becomes quite crystal clear without any shadow of doubt as to how much did Gill gain now as SM though he initially he was slotted and plotted by our top brass to be a Senator instead. No denying the hard fact that both the positions are of immense importance that millions of Pakistanis aspire to be one of the two but it is nothing but a fact that millions died and will die without being either a senator or for that matter a state minister. I must very plainly and publicly admit that being away from my beloved Pakistan since 1976; I am a bit rusty on certain points but still do my utmost best to be on the track and not derail.

I am very much blank as to what could be salary and perks for a State Minister which will now be enjoyed by Gill as he has been appointed as Special Assistant to PM which is carrying the status of a State Minister. Likewise I also do not know what money and other benefits Gill had enjoyed had he been a senator but I do know that the senator gets more money when Senate is in session meaning by that they get paid each month irrespective of the fact whether Senate session is on or off. Now Gill will get same money per month as salary which could not be same and instead fluctuated if had he been a Senator. As State Minister, Gill will be entitled to fly national flag at his office, house and car which had not been so had he been a senator in any case. Semi officially speaking very often pre fix of H. E. is used for State Minister and hence now Gill name will be prefixed accordingly which had not been the practice if he was a Senator instead. Gill as State Minister will be assigned to any ministry or division whereby he will command quite a large number of people may be right from BPS 21 if not BPS 22 to down below BPS 1 but it is not the same so far as a Senator is concerned though he too has an office and personal staff to work for him but there is no equation between the said two positions. Now Gill being SM will attend all cabinet meetings which are chaired by PM but on the other hand senators are not called to cabinet meetings. Gill being SM will be in great demand as general public will always be reaching him and requesting for some help from various government ministries and offices etc but regretfully not many had contacted him had he been a Senator instead. At some of the ceremonies and functions Gill being SM will be the chief guest of honor where some plate will be erected in wall mentioning his name, position and date etc and he will unfurl the curtain and cut cake etc but it had not been so had he been a Senator. On each function where President or Prime Minister will be the chief guest of honor, Gill being a SM will be invited and seated in front row but he had not been honored alike as a senator. As per official order of precedence I am pretty sure that Gill being SM will have an edge over Senator.

As the saying goes that night comes after the day is gone and hence I am obliged to mention at least one if not more instances where Gill despite being appointed as State Minister is exposed to a constant danger and though I am not wishing it at all that he is axed alike but nevertheless please do not paint id otherwise. Gill as SM is subjected to be in the driving seat till he is in the good books of PM and not otherwise but say for discussion purpose only if he is at odds with PM for any set of imagination then PM enjoying his inborn prerogative will ask Gill to quit and he shall have no option but to pack up unless and until he tenders unconditional apologies not to behave alike in future and PM accepts the same otherwise his fate is sealed. As a Senator he is to be an honorable member of upper chamber of the parliament for a continual period of 6 years term and PM has no authority whatsoever to remove any Senator as and when he wants.                    

Who gained, Senator or State Minister, you decide?

Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait