Opposition reiterates demand for Hamza’s production orders
PML-N MPA says recently introduced law is being ruined by the government
Hamza Shehbaz. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
The opposition in the Punjab Assembly, led by PML-N, has once again demanded production orders for all MPAs, including Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, who are being detained by NAB.
The legislators asked speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to issue the production orders of MPAs as it was his initiative to introduce them in the parliamentary history of Punjab.
The 14th session of the Punjab Assembly started on Monday after a delay of more than two hours from its scheduled time of 3 pm. PA Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was in the chair. As the session commenced, the PML-N lawmakers demanded production orders for opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz. They said it was the right of his constituency, voters and the entire opposition to be represented in the house by their leader. The PML-N MPAs said Hamza was holding the coveted offices of the leader of the opposition and that of MPA.
Speaking on a point of order, PML-N MPA Samiullah Khan said that the law regarding production orders had the potential to be historic, but the Punjab government was ruining its sanctity not issuing the same. “I can understand your situation as you are a coalition partner and may be facing certain restraints. The law of production orders was to your credit and the government is discrediting it,” said Samiullah Khan while addressing the chair.
LHC allows Hamza Shahbaz to travel abroad
He pointed out that the law of production orders came into being when PTI’s Aleem Khan and Khwaja Salman Rafique of PML-N were in NAB custody and both would attend housing proceedings.” I want to ask who gave the order not to issue production orders when Hamza Shehbaz was detained by NAB?” he asked.
He went on to say that Punjab’s strings were being pulled from elsewhere. He said the source of the direction not to issue production orders for the incarcerated Hamza Shehbaz, Khwaja Salman Rafique and Sibtain Khan was more powerful than the Punjab government itself.
Meanwhile, treasury MPAs chanted slogans against the PML-N leadership during the speech of Samiullah Khan. The speaker had to intervene and warned PTI’s Uzma Kardar that he would have to remove her from the house if she continued making noise.
MPA Sardar Awais Leghari said Hamza Shehbaz was representing his constituency and the whole opposition. However, in his opinion, the government was suppressing the voice of the opposition through its tactics.
“Will inflation increase if Hamza Shehbaz comes to the house or the Southern Punjab province be formed,” the DG Khan MPA asked rhetorically. Former speaker Rana Iqbal, Rana Mashhood, Khwaja Imran Nazir and PPP’s Syed Hassan Murtaza raised similar concerns while speaking on points of order.
In his response, the Punjab Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raja Basharat said the production order wasn’t binding on the Speaker. He elaborated that the word of ‘may’ was used in the law instead of ‘shall’.
“We’ll resolve the issue of production orders in consensus with the opposition after thorough deliberations,” he said. “The government will respond, in accordance with the law, if the speaker issues the production orders of any MPA,” law minister said.
The government laid two ordinances, while one bill was also introduced in the House. The Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 and The Rawalpindi Women University Ordinance 2019 were laid, while The Punjab Workers Welfare Fund Bill 2019 was also introduced. The government couldn’t complete the agenda items due to the collapse of the quorum and now the session will resume on Tuesday morning.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2019.
The opposition in the Punjab Assembly, led by PML-N, has once again demanded production orders for all MPAs, including Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, who are being detained by NAB.
The legislators asked speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to issue the production orders of MPAs as it was his initiative to introduce them in the parliamentary history of Punjab.
The 14th session of the Punjab Assembly started on Monday after a delay of more than two hours from its scheduled time of 3 pm. PA Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was in the chair. As the session commenced, the PML-N lawmakers demanded production orders for opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz. They said it was the right of his constituency, voters and the entire opposition to be represented in the house by their leader. The PML-N MPAs said Hamza was holding the coveted offices of the leader of the opposition and that of MPA.
Speaking on a point of order, PML-N MPA Samiullah Khan said that the law regarding production orders had the potential to be historic, but the Punjab government was ruining its sanctity not issuing the same. “I can understand your situation as you are a coalition partner and may be facing certain restraints. The law of production orders was to your credit and the government is discrediting it,” said Samiullah Khan while addressing the chair.
LHC allows Hamza Shahbaz to travel abroad
He pointed out that the law of production orders came into being when PTI’s Aleem Khan and Khwaja Salman Rafique of PML-N were in NAB custody and both would attend housing proceedings.” I want to ask who gave the order not to issue production orders when Hamza Shehbaz was detained by NAB?” he asked.
He went on to say that Punjab’s strings were being pulled from elsewhere. He said the source of the direction not to issue production orders for the incarcerated Hamza Shehbaz, Khwaja Salman Rafique and Sibtain Khan was more powerful than the Punjab government itself.
Meanwhile, treasury MPAs chanted slogans against the PML-N leadership during the speech of Samiullah Khan. The speaker had to intervene and warned PTI’s Uzma Kardar that he would have to remove her from the house if she continued making noise.
MPA Sardar Awais Leghari said Hamza Shehbaz was representing his constituency and the whole opposition. However, in his opinion, the government was suppressing the voice of the opposition through its tactics.
“Will inflation increase if Hamza Shehbaz comes to the house or the Southern Punjab province be formed,” the DG Khan MPA asked rhetorically. Former speaker Rana Iqbal, Rana Mashhood, Khwaja Imran Nazir and PPP’s Syed Hassan Murtaza raised similar concerns while speaking on points of order.
In his response, the Punjab Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raja Basharat said the production order wasn’t binding on the Speaker. He elaborated that the word of ‘may’ was used in the law instead of ‘shall’.
“We’ll resolve the issue of production orders in consensus with the opposition after thorough deliberations,” he said. “The government will respond, in accordance with the law, if the speaker issues the production orders of any MPA,” law minister said.
The government laid two ordinances, while one bill was also introduced in the House. The Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 and The Rawalpindi Women University Ordinance 2019 were laid, while The Punjab Workers Welfare Fund Bill 2019 was also introduced. The government couldn’t complete the agenda items due to the collapse of the quorum and now the session will resume on Tuesday morning.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2019.