ISLAMABAD: The PTI requested the National Assembly speaker to issue production orders for its nine “detained” MNAs ahead of NA and Senate sessions on Tuesday.
In a letter to NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Chief Whip Amir Dogar claimed that the nine MNAs were “currently detained” and requested him to issue production orders for them to enable them to attend the 30th session starting today.
The lawmakers comprised Haji Imtiaz Ahmad Choudhry (ΝΑ-68), Muhammad Jamal Ahsan Khan (NA-89), Mian Ghous Muhammad (ΝΑ-170), Sanaullah Khan Mastikhel (NΑ-91), Dawar Khan Kundi (NA-43), Junaid Akbar (NA-09), Amjad Ali Khan (NA-02), Fazal Muhammad Khan (ΝΑ-25) and Adil Khan Bazai (NA-262).
“As the speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, the impartiality of your esteemed office requires that production orders be issued for all detained members, irrespective of their political affiliation, to ensure that no constituency remains unrepresented during the proceedings of the House,” the letter read.
It requested Sadiq to issue the production orders under Rule 108 of the 2007 Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly.
When the NA session began at around 7pm, Speaker Sadiq administered the oath of membership to PML-N’s Malik Munir Iqbal Channar, who won the Bahawalpur polls last month held to fill the seat of his late father Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar.
Lawmakers then offered prayers for late MNA Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk, who died last month after a prolonged illness.
As MNAs from various parties took their turns to recall the services of Virk, there was slight commotion, which prompted the speaker to urge PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan to respect the late MNA.
Gohar remarked that sessions are usually adjourned after prayers for a deceased member. Referring to the governor’s rule in KP, he said the “funeral of this house was also held on Oct 11”.
“We tried to give you very much in dialogue, but you (PTI) were not ready to take what we had offered,” the speaker replied, then switched off Gohar’s mic.
The speaker said political discussion will not be allowed today, but tomorrow (Wednesday).
PPP’s Syed Naveed Qamar also urged the PTI chairman to acknowledge the services of Virk, who had stood by the Constitution. He said the PTI could raise its issues later as well.
Lawmakers then continued to pay tribute to Virk, with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal among those who highlighted his professional life.
President Asif Ali Zardari had summoned the sessions after he and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif agreed on it during their weekend meeting on the country’s political and security situation.
The sessions also follow the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and emergency in 12 of its districts, for which the Centre cited the PTI-led provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement” from the fight against terrorism.
Earlier in the day, the NA Secretariat had shared the orders of the day for today’s session.
Parliament approval for governor’s rule
President Zardari had on Sunday issued proclamations of emergency and governor’s rule under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, respectively.
According to Article 232, in case the president “acts on his own” — which was not the case for KP as he acted on PM Shehbaz’s advice — the proclamation of emergency is to be placed before both houses of Parliament for approval by each house within 10 days.
It also empowers Parliament “to make laws for a province, or any part thereof, with respect to any matter not enumerated in the Federal Legislative List” during emergency.
Meanwhile, a proclamation for governor’s rule issued under Article 234 “shall be laid before a joint sitting and shall cease to be in force at the expiration of two months, unless before the expiration of that period it has been approved by resolution of the joint sitting and may by like resolution be extended for a further period not exceeding two months at a time”.
In the upper house, Senator Kamran Murtaza of the Jamiat Ulemai-i-Islam–Fazl (JUI-F) had submitted a resolution on Monday opposing the imposition of governor’s rule in KP.
PM takes parties into confidence
Ahead of the NA session, PM Shehbaz met with a parliamentary delegation comprising representatives of PML-Q, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) and PML-Zia.
The prime minister took the delegation into confidence regarding the situation in KP and explained the reasons behind the federal government’s decision to take constitutional measures, state-run APP reported.
He said the conduct of the PTI-led KP government in the province and its failure to adopt an unequivocal stance against terrorism had posed risks to Pakistan’s growing economy.
The premier highlighted that the federal government had provided more than Rs800 billion to KP under the National Finance Commission (NFC) arrangements to support efforts against terrorism.
However, he said, the provincial government had failed to take effective measures to strengthen the capacity of its Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and establish Safe City projects to improve its counterterrorism capabilities.
According to the PM Office, the parliamentary delegation expressed its support for the federal government amid the prevailing situation and appreciated the prime minister’s leadership during what it described as difficult circumstances.
The delegation also said the people of KP had remained deprived of adequate development in health, education and infrastructure during the PTI’s tenure in the province.
It expressed confidence that, with the federal government’s cooperation, development and prosperity in KP would advance in line with other parts of the country.
The delegation included BAP President and Science and Technology Minister Khalid Magsi; former Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani of BAP, senators Manzoor Kakar, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Dinesh Kumar and Samina Mumtaz Zehri; PML-Q President and Human Resource Development Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain; and representatives of the IPP and PML-Zia.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Asif, Tarar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and PM’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah also attended the meeting.
More to follow