Production orders take centre stage at PA

Debate erupts after opposition demands productions orders for Khwaja Salman Rafique

LAHORE: Opposition lawmakers seemed at a loss to defend the past actions they had taken when it came to production orders for MPAs. Meanwhile, Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi questioned the role of former provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah in the Model Town massacre during Thursday’s session.

The treasury and opposition lawmakers remained adamant on their stance of whether the speaker of the house had the discretionary powers to issue a production order. PML-N’s Warris Shad quoted relevant provisions, saying the speaker enjoyed the discretionary powers to issue such an order. He pointed to the precedent set by Balochistan Assembly Speaker Jan Muhammad Jamali who did the same.

The opposition’s efforts to convince the treasury that the speaker wielded the mentioned discretionary power bore no fruit. However, provincial law minister Raja Basharat promised the house that he would bring a draft for only amendments in the rules of business, under which a production order could be issued.

Finally, the opposition boycotted the session when they believed the speaker would not issue any production orders. The opposition maintained that the treasury was using a tit for tat approach, while the latter reminded them of the time PML-N was not issuing production orders.

After the question-answer session, PML-N’s Warris Shad stood up on a point of order and said the opposition condemned the act of not issuing production orders in the past. He asked the treasury to bury the past and move forward together towards the future.

Raja Basharat said there was no provision in the rules and the matter could be pondered over if the opposition moved a relevant motion to bring amendments to the rules of business. When Waris started speaking, the Speaker interrupted and said that past rulers should not forget God. He said PML-N leaders such as Rana Sanaullah were largely responsible for bringing the PML-N into power in the past. By the same token, he asked whether it was not the former law minister who was played a major role in the Model Town massacre.

Former speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan said the chair of the house had the discretionary powers to issue production orders, to which the treasury asked why he never did so during his tenure. Basharat said it was astonishing that the former speaker never issued production orders, yet the opposition was forcing PTI to do the same.

Pakistan Rah-e-Haq party’s Muhammad Moavia said his father’s Azam Tariq’s production orders were never issued and now PML-N is expecting the same for Khawja Salman Rafique. He added the former ruling party does not deserve production orders. However, he suggested there would be no difference between “us and them” if history repeated itself. Meanwhile, the opposition boycotted the house, claiming the treasury was taking revenge.