ISLAMABAD: Opposition political parties on Tuesday requested the National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to issue production orders for five parliamentarians detained by different agencies of the government.
In a formal request to the NA speaker, MNAs from both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party have urged Asad Qaiser to issue production orders for Asif Ali Zadari, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Rana Sanaullah, Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar.
They underscored that the detained MNAs were “deprived of the opportunity to participate in the (lawmaking) process as an elected member as stipulated in the Constitution.”
Citing rule 108 of the Rule and Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, the lawmakers further stressed that the speaker “may summon a member in custody on the charge of nonbailbale offence to attend a sitting or sittings of the assembly”.
It was further said that the being the speaker of the lower house Qaiser should ‘impartially’ issue production orders for every MNA regardless of their party affiliation so that no constituency of Pakistan remained unrepresented in the house.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a cabinet meeting earlier this month, tasked the Ministry of Law and Justice with redrafting the law on production order for lawmakers for consideration of parliament.
Following the cabinet’s decision, Zardari and Saad Rafique were barred from attending the National Assembly and standing committee meetings
The premier had taken exception to production orders being issued for those members of parliament involved in embezzlement and corruption related cases .
He was quoted as saying that all prisoners should be given an equal treatment and no inmate should receive preferential treatment during confinement.
