National Treasure

Salary & Concessions for a Member of National Assembly (MNA)

Monthly Salary: Rs. 120,000 to 200,000 - US$ 1977 - 3295
Expense for Constitution per month: Rs.100,000 - US$ 1647
Office expenditure per month: Rs.140,000 - US$ 2306
Travelling concession (Rs. 8 per km): Rs.48,000 - US$ 791 (For a visit to ISLAMABAD & return: 6000 km)
Daily BETA during Assembly meets: Rs.500 - US$ 8.24
Charge for 1st class (A/C) in train: Free (For any number of times & All over PAKISTAN)
Charge for Business Class in flights: Free for 40 trips / Year (With wife or P.A.)
Rent for Govt hostel any where: Free
Electricity costs at home: Free up to 50,000 units
Local phone call charge: Free up to 1, 70,000 call.
TOTAL expense for a MNA per year: Rs. 32,000,000 - US$ 527,182
TOTAL expense for 5 years: Rs. 1, 6000 000 - US$ 263,591
For 534 MNA, the expense for 5 years: Rs. 8,54,40,000, 000 ( about 9000 crores) - US$ 1.4 Billion

Need I say more? Is this the 'true essence' of democracy stated by our leader, General Pervez Musharraf ? Or is this an implementation of the 'Sub Say Pehlay Pakistan - Pakistan Comes First' policy ? Today, we stand at a point where the masses of Pakistan are disappointed with the system and believe that nothing can bring a change in Pakistan. The MNAs of our assembly, either in opposition or government, all sing to the same tune of bringing 'real democracy' in Pakistan.

According to my opinion, that will not happen until the system is changed. President Musharraf, being in Army uniform, was the only man who could have done that. But, unfortunately he also did not show enough resolve and character to bring about a new political system. The army is indeed the most powerful institution in Pakistan. Therefore, everyone hoped that if a change is ever possible, it is only through the man who heads the most powerful institution. All what was required from the President was to establish an independent judiciary. This would have automatically filtered the MNAs of today who for the last 15 years or so, have been sitting at the assembly, except with different masks ie. PML(N) , PPP, PML(Q), PPPP . Before it was the Chowdhary Shujaat under the umbrella of PML- Nawaz. Today, it is the same Chowdhary under the PML - Quaid e Azam.

To conclude, until the judiciary of Pakistan is not made independent the system will always fail us. Furthermore, a change in Pakistan will come only when these disappointed masses or 'awam' of Pakistan stand up and make their voices heard. It will happen when the 'silent' majority of Pakistan which never votes, will cast their votes in the electoral process. When that will happen is a million dollar question left to be answered.

P.S. - The statistics for NA expenditure was forwarded to me by a very dear friend who works for a major news channel in Pakistan. His attachment with government circles has enabled me to provide this information.

Stranded PML(Q) or PML(N)?

Twenty three days into 2007, and it seems like we are experiencing a 'deja vu.' Both, Benazir and Nawaz have finally parted ways as elections comes nearer. This occurs due to the fact that Mohatarma Benazir Bhutto has decided not to attend the All Parties conference.

Well, it was imminent that PPP had to take a clear stance on their position and enlighten the awam (masses) that some sort of back-door diplomacy is underway. All of a sudden, the corridoors of powers are becoming noisy. In other words, it not only the PML(N) of Nawaz feeling the heat. That is because they have nothing to lose with Nawaz Sharif not allowed to return to the country at all. However, It is PML(Q) which is starting to feel that they are losing ground. In my opinion, its not the ground that they are losing. Its actually the umbrella above their head, which is being moved by Sadr Sahib, General Pervez Musharraf, to the PPP camp. Being an ardent supporter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, I believe that these elections will not effect Pakistan as much as it will effect the setup in Pakistan Peoples Party.

Chairperson for life, Benazir Bhutto, will slowly but eventually lose her seat as the leading player in the party. I think that if General Musharraf plays all his cards right, he can influence the PPP leadership minus BB to bring a change. After all, how loyal can the Makhdooms be? And, it is not about loyalty anymore. It is more about the right of the senior party workers in the PPP who have worked hard enough to deserve this government. They have been consistently working over the last couple of years to gain support from the masses. Therefore, if BB decides to back out of the elections in case she is not provided a safe passage way to enter Pakistan then there is a chance that a change may start to evolve. This time I think the central committee of PPP is trying to work out a deal in which both parties are satisfied. That is only possible if BB remains the chairperson of her party. While, Makhdoom Amin Fahim is allowed to become the elected PM of the parliament with a simple majority (51 percent) in the parliament.

However, its the PML(Q) which is watching the show right now as mere spectators with nothing in their hands. Only time will tell if we will see another term of Chaudhary Shujaat's show. Or, if it will be the return of the slogan 'Roti, Kapra Aur Makan' (Food,Clothes and Shelter). Whatever the case, as stated earlier, these elections will have long term implications on the domestic structure of Pakistan. Therefore, let us 'the awam' sit back and watch because we are used to doing that for most of the last 59 years.

Pakistan Peoples Party

As 2007 starts on a positive note with Pakistan's premiere, Shaukat Aziz, travelling to Afghanistan to make things different. Furthermore, positive remarks have originated from across the border with Mr. Manhoman Singh desiring a durable peace with Pakistan.

However, as all these positive developments take place one has to keep in mind an important aspect that may decide the future of this region. That is the elections of 2007 "The year of Benazir's return" as some people call it. Well, at this point in time I believe its just anyone's guess that BB will be returning to the country or not?

It has been some time since the PPP has raised a serious charge against the government. In addition, not much of major figures from BB's party are appearing on television to prove that 'real democracy' does not exist in Pakistan. It is evident that some formula is being sorted out between the establishment and the Pakistan Peoples Party. There is a rumor that Benazir Sahiba will be allowed to return to Pakistan only if she accepts her role like that of Sonia Gandhi with her Congress. This might be the empth time that Makhdoom Fahim will be keeping his fingers crossed because he has been a regular candidate for the PM slot during the elections period. As these rumors hit the drawing room discussions in Pakistan, many people are starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. Now we see more of PML(Q) members appearing on television giving out new figures of economy growth, foreign reserves and poverty level to prove that they have worked hard enough to win their reward from the President of Pakistan. In addition, a lot of the ruling party members may believe it is unfair that every time during elections PPP gets more exciting publicity than their party. While all this happens at the background, Mian Nawaz Sharif seems to be losing his ground very rapidly. It seems like PML(N) has been stranded alone with unclear figures such as Qazi Hussain and Imran Khan. They might be calling it the 'London Plan' which will bring a significant change in the political setup in the country. But to my view, it is just a far fetched idea which will die before its introduction even.

The opposition which was together for a long period of time has started to look for opportunities, if offered. Seems like the notion of 'Power Corrupts' is overpowering the principles of politics. It is unfortunate to see the politicians of today jumping back and forth to seek comfort. However, they do not realize that each jump of theirs dents whatever hopes there exists in the people of Pakistan - or some people may call them as 'Pakistan Ki Awam.'

However, it will be interesting to see the drama unfold in the coming months as bureaucrats manoeuvre around to make an acceptable formula for President Musharraf and his close aides. By close aides, I do not mean the King's Party but only those who are truly trusted by the President. Maybe not many can figure if 2007 will be 'the year of Benazir's return.' But, one thing is clear that it will be an interesting year as far the politics of Pakistan is concerned.