October 31, 2003	Friday	Ramazan 4, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 30: The combined opposition on Thursday asked National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain to intervene, and issue an order for production of ARD president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi to attend the National Assembly session on Friday.

The demand was made by a delegation of the joint opposition members, including the deputy general secretary of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan of the PML-N, Shah Mehmood Qureshi of the PPP and Mr Hashmi’s daughter MNA Memoona Hashmi, during a meeting with the speaker at his chamber after holding a protest demonstration outside the Parliament House.

Opposition leaders asked the speaker to assert his authority by using his powers under Rule 90 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly and direct the police to produce Javed Hashmi on Friday morning.

Later, talking to reporters, opposition members said the speaker had assured that he would “study the matter and take a suitable decision,” adding that the speaker had also assured that he would help arrange a meeting of Mr Hashmi with his relatives. Sources, however, said that attempts on part of the speaker in this regard failed and opposition members emerged from his chamber after an hour-long wait.

Speaking to the protesting parliamentarians, chief of the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Mehmood Khan Achakzai likened the situation in the country to the imposition of martial law, saying the parliament had been rendered into a rubber stamp.

The NA speaker, he said, should either act boldly against what he termed the illegal arrest of Mr Hashmi or resign from his office.

Before staging a demonstration, the opposition members held a protest march from the Parliament Lodges to the National Assembly building.

Prominent among those who participated in the protest demonstration were Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, Raja Nadir Pervez, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Zamarud Khan, Manzoor Wasan, Dr Azra Fazal, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Nayyar Bokhari and Ahsan Iqbal.

The opposition also submitted a privilege motion to the National Assembly secretariat against Mr Hashmi’s arrest.