PA makes history by issuing its first production order

PML-N’s Mian Naseer grilled Ch Zaheeruddin, who was responding to the queries on behalf of minister for Auqaf

LAHORE: Punjab Assembly made a history when Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Salman Rafique, currently facing the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) investigation in the Paragon City scam, was brought in the house on its first production order issued by Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.

The order read: “I, Pervez Elahi, speaker of the Punjab Assembly consider the presence of Khawaja Salman Rafique necessary during the current session. Therefore exercise of the powers conferred on me by rule 79-A of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1997, I hereby summon Khawaja Salman Rafique to attend the ongoing session at the assembly chambers. You are directed to produce him at the commencement of each sitting of the current session before the serjeant-at-arms who shall, after the conclusion of the sitting, deliver him into your custody.”

The house resonated with slogans “Sher Aya Sher Aya” (here comes the lion) as Rafique entered into the house. He termed the issuance of production order as the assembly’s victory. He called for the protection of basic human rights of all citizens, adding PTI should come forward for the stability of the parliament and for protecting the basic human rights if it deems the previous governments had done nothing for it. “The investigating institution should perform its work and we will have to make the judicial system stronger,” he said.

Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat said Speaker Pervez Elahi played its vital role and the PTI government would do whatever it takes to make the democracy stronger. “Expressing seriousness by the political parties will strengthen the democracy. They paved the way for the issuance of production order so that democracy could sustain. This house protects the rights of any member,” he vowed.

After that, the treasury took the resolution of PTI’s Momina Waheed out-of-turn and later got it passed with majority votes. The resolution sought an amendment in the Constitution and election laws for declaring the vacant seat of a member if he or she does not take the oath of the membership of assembly even after three months of being elected in the polls. She said this conduct should be prevented so that the people could not be deprived of their representation.

During the question-answer session, the speaker warned Food Minister Samiullah Chaudhry for giving ‘false statements’ without prior thinking. He snubbed him over misleading the house by verbally committing that it was the policy of his department. The minister was responding to the query put by Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Syed Hassan Murtaza.

The speaker seconded Murtaza that the tax money should be spent from where it was collected but it never happened. However, he vowed that now they were collecting the tax amount that would be spent on merit in districts concerned.

Speaker Elahi asked the minister if any policy was formulated by the cabinet. The minister said they prepared a little draft of the policy. “There is a difference between a draft and a policy,” the speaker remarked. “If someone has whims and dreams, you cannot call it a policy.”

“Before giving statements, you should think as you are in the house,” the speaker warned the minister. Following this communication and the dissatisfactory answer by the minister, the speaker adjourned Murtaza’s question.

However, PML-N’s Mian Naseer also grilled Minister for Public Prosecution Ch Zaheeruddin, who was responding to the queries on behalf of minister for Auqaf and Religious Affairs in his absence.

Naseer pointed out that the department ‘trickily’ replied his queries. He said the department first said no one has occupied the land of Auqaf and then admitted that the action has been taken against those who have occupied the land. He asked the minister which answer was credible. He brought into the notice of the house that the employees of Auqaf had occupied several shops and rented them. He said Auqaf was being paid a small in rent while the staff members were collecting a huge amount causing a loss of millions to the national exchequer. At this, the minister promised to look into the matter personally and the house would be informed about the details of the issue. He said action would be taken against those responsible.