ISLAMABAD: Mem­b­ers of the parliament be­­longing to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), led by the former National Assem­b­­ly speaker Asad Qai­ser, have moved a privilege motion against DG Anti-Corruption Punjab, IG Police, IG Prisons, DPO Gujrat, DPO Mandi Bahauddin as they failed to produce MNA Haji Imtiaz Ahmad Chaudhry in the assembly despite production orders issued by the NA speaker.

The names of principal secretary to NA speaker and other relevant officials of the assembly, who did not forward the orders of the chairman of standing committee on aviation, are also included in privilege motion.

“We, the members of the National Assembly, want to draw your attention to a series of grave breaches of our members’ parliamentary privileges. On 24-7-2024, MNA Haji Ahmad Chaudhry, was arrested by law enforcement authorities i.e. Punjab Police, Anti-Corruption Department Punjab, and other authorities without obtaining prior approval from the Speaker, in violation of Rule 103 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the National Assembly,” it stated.

Rule 103 clearly mandates “approval of the Speaker before arrest, detention, etc., of a member. When a member has to be arrested on a criminal charge or for a criminal offence or has to be detained under an executive order, the committing judge, magistrate or executive authority, as the case may be, shall immediately seek approval of the Speaker indicating the reasons for the arrest or detention.”

Party assails NA officials for not forwarding orders of panel chairman

The motion stated, “This blatant disregard of Rule 103 represents the first violation of privileges not of the individual member but also the whole House. Secondly, despite the Speaker having issued production orders for attendance of MNA Haji Imtiaz Ahmad Chaudhry at the National Assembly session, he was not produced for the assembly session. This failure to adhere to the Speaker’s lawful production orders violates the members’ right to participate in parliamentary proceedings and constitutes a serious breach of parliamentary norms.

“Lastly, despite a ruling from the chairman of the Standing Committee on Civil Aviation, MNA Imtiaz Chaudhry was not produced for the committee meeting. The chairman of the Standing Committee is empowered by the rules to ensure the attendance of its members, and the failure to produce a member, despite the clear instructions of the chairman, represents a third violation of the privileges. These rules are meant to facilitate the effective functioning of committees, which are an essential part of parliamentary oversight.”

The draft of privilege motion stated that in the light of repeated violations or parliamentary privileges, the matter be referred to the committee on privileges for a thorough investigation and all relevant officials be called before the committee to provide their testimonies and explanations regarding the incident.

“We trust that this motion will be given due consideration, and the necessary actions will be taken to uphold the sanctity of parliamentary privileges,” it stated.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2024