PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar has issued production order for detained minister Ziaullah Afridi to attend the assembly session on Thursday.

The production order was issued on Wednesday wherein the secretary home and tribal affairs department and inspector general of police had been directed to hand over the detained minister to sergeant-at-arms on Thursday and Friday to attend the sittings.

The provincial Ehtesab Commission had arrested minister for minerals Ziaullah Afridi on July 9 on the charges of misusing his authority and allowing illegal mining in different areas. He has been shifted to Central Jail Peshawar after judicial remand. Presently, he is in medico-legal ward of Lady Reading Hospital.

The order said that Mr Afridi had requested on Aug 4 for production to attend the session and the Speaker considered his presence in the session appropriate.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Rule 65 A of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Procedure and Conduct of Business Rules, 1988, the Speaker has been pleased to summon Ziaullah Afridi to attend the sittings to be held on September 10 and 11 at 3pm,” the order said.

Afridi had accused Chief Minister Pervez Khattak of implicating him in false cases because he was opposing his policies. Opposition benches had demanded of the Speaker to issue production order of Mr Afridi.

Sources said that several lawmakers of the treasury and opposition had held meetings with the detained minister and sought commitments. They said that production order had been issued on the condition that he would not speak against the chief minister on the assembly floor.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2015

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