Speaker grills govt over production order violation

Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi grilled the Punjab government and its bureaucrats on Thursday for not implementing his production orders for PTI’s arrested MPA Nazir Chohan to attend the session of the house.

“I will see how will any legislation of the government is passed by the Punjab Assembly, anyone from the bureaucrats should not act like a 'Tarzan', it is Punjab Assembly not a jungle,” he remarked.

He said the session would commence daily only to be adjourned for the next day without taking up any legislation or government business on the agenda. "Only Nazir Chohan will be discussed here in Punjab Assembly," he warned.

The speaker asked how his production order had been violated and why MPA Chohan had not been brought to the assembly.

He said he knew that some bureaucrats were annoyed over recently passed legislation regarding privileges of the assembly members and were trying their best to block it, but he would ensure that this does not happen.

Read Nazir Chohan handed over to FIA on two-day physical remand

As the session started, PTI’s Saeed Akbar Nawani, who had been nominated as parliamentary leader by estranged party leader Jahangir Tareen's group, criticised the treatment meted out to Chohan.

"Was this fault that he asked Shehzad Akbar, the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior and Accountability, about his religion?” he asked.

Nawani also reminded the speaker that Chohan had not been produced in the assembly despite his orders.

He asked how a man along with bureaucrats had foiled the production order. He said not producing Chohan in the house despite the speaker's order was tantamount to disrespecting the assembly.

Speaker Pervez Elahi did not take up any agenda item, including two bills, and adjourned the session till Friday.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2021.