PTI seeks production orders for nine detained MNAs

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has asked National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to issue production orders for nine party lawmakers allegedly in detention, enabling them to attend the ongoing parliamentary proceedings.

In a letter sent to the speaker on Tuesday, PTI Chief Whip Amir Dogar said the lawmakers were currently detained and should be brought to the National Assembly for its 30th session, which began on Tuesday.

The nine MNAs named in the request are Haji Imtiaz Ahmad Choudhry, Muhammad Jamal Ahsan Khan, Mian Ghous Muhammad, Sanaullah Khan Mastikhel, Dawar Khan Kundi, Junaid Akbar, Amjad Ali Khan, Fazal Muhammad Khan and Adil Khan Bazai.

Dogar urged the speaker to ensure that all detained members could participate in parliamentary proceedings, regardless of their political affiliation. He argued that preventing elected representatives from attending the sessions could leave their constituencies without representation in the House.

The PTI chief whip cited Rule 108 of the National Assembly’s Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, 2007, and requested the issuance of production orders for the lawmakers.

The National Assembly and Senate sessions were summoned by President Asif Ali Zardari following a weekend meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The discussions focused on the country’s political and security situation.

The parliamentary sessions are taking place amid heightened political tensions following the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the declaration of an emergency in 12 districts of the province. The federal government cited what it described as the PTI-led provincial administration’s lack of cooperation in counterterrorism efforts as a reason for the move.

The PTI has opposed the federal government’s actions in the province, while its latest request seeks to secure the participation of its lawmakers in parliamentary proceedings.