ISLAMABAD: Like his predecessor, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf seems to be reluctant in issuing production order of independent MNA Ali Wazir, forcing the secretary general of his own Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to go public on the issue and register an indirect protest over the move.

“[I] strongly urge speaker of National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to issue production orders of @Aliwazirna50,” tweeted PPP secretary general Farhatullah Khan Babar on Saturday, a day after presentation of the federal budget by the new coalition government in the lower house of the parliament.

“In the opposition, we always demanded it. @BBhuttoZardari addressed a letter to then speaker also. No reason, no explanation good enough to not issue production order,” wrote Mr Babar on his official Twitter handle, while reminding the speaker about the time when the PPP used to lodge the protest in the National Assembly against former speaker Asad Qaiser for not issuing the production order of Mr Wazir, who has been behind the bars for over 17 months for delivering allegedly anti-state speeches in Karachi.

PPP’s Farhatullah Babar takes issue with Raja Ashraf’s reluctance

Mr Wazir, who was elected from the NA-50 constituency in South Waziristan’s tribal district as an independent candidate, however, attended the crucial National Assembly session during the vote on the no-confidence resolution against former prime minister Imran Khan in April on the intervention of the Supreme Court.

It is interesting to note that Mr Wazir is presently on the treasury benches and he also supported Mr Ashraf’s nomination as the speaker. The MNA had also delivered a speech during the session after the election of Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister in which he had again hit the state institutions for their policies.

Former speaker Asad Qaiser of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had to issue the production order of Mr Wazir on April 1, two days before the planned vote on no-confidence resolution against Mr Khan, on the intervention of the Supreme Court.

Ali Wazir, a Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement-backed MNA is under detention on different charges registered with the Sohrab Goth Police Station in Karachi.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2022