February 02, 2007	Friday	Muharram 13, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 1: Legislators in the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) on Thursday submitted an application to the National Assembly secretariat, demanding that Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain issue an order to produce the jailed leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, for the new session of the assembly commencing on Feb 6.

Signed by four members of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and two of the PML-N, the application has been moved under Rule 90 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 1992.

The movers are: PPP President Makhdoom Amin Fahim, PPP Secretary-General Raja Pervez Ashraf, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Syed Khurshid Shah, PML-N Acting Parliamentary Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Tehmina Daultana.

In their application, the ARD members urged the speaker to issue the order to enable Mr Hashmi to represent his constituency in the NA session.

Mr Hashmi is serving 23-year imprisonment after he was found guilty in a treason case by a sessions court, and his appeal against the conviction has been pending before the higher court for two years.

Talking to Dawn, Raja Pervez Ashraf said it was the right of every MNA to represent his constituency till the time he remained a member of the lower house.

He said by keeping Mr Hashmi behind bars, the government was in effect punishing all the people of Mr Hashmi’s constituency.

When asked what strategy the opposition would adopt if the speaker did not issue the production order, he said the opposition would continue to raise the issue till Mr Hashmi was brought to the assembly.