Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has issued National Assembly production orders for two detained PTI lawmakers, directing that they be brought to Parliament House for sittings of the lower house. The orders name Sanaullah Khan Masti Khel and Dawar Khan Kundi, who the order said were in the custody of Punjab police.
What the order says
A production order is a formal direction that requires authorities to bring a member of parliament from custody to the house. Sadiq issued the orders under Rule 108 of the National Assembly's Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, 2007. The order described the two members' presence at the session, which President Asif Ali Zardari had summoned on October 13, as necessary.
Under the order, the two members must appear at the start of each sitting before the sergeant-at-arms, the House officer responsible for order and security, who will return them to custody when the sitting ends. Copies were sent to the interior ministry secretary, Punjab's chief secretary and home department officials, the Islamabad Capital Territory administration and police chiefs, and the sergeant-at-arms, so that the orders can be carried out.
The request from PTI
The request came from the party itself. On Tuesday, PTI's chief whip, Amir Dogar, wrote to the speaker seeking production orders for nine party members he said were "currently detained", so they could attend the session that opened that day. Sadiq has acted on two of those names. The available account does not say what happened to the other seven or what charges, if any, the lawmakers face.
Wider context in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The development follows a decision by the Centre, as the federal government is often called, to impose emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday. The government cited what it described as the provincial PTI-led government's "deliberate disengagement" from the fight against terrorism. Several PTI leaders were taken into custody after that, including Sohail Afridi, the province's non-functional chief minister. The report does not link the detention of the two MNAs to those arrests.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Sunday: The Centre imposed emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and several PTI leaders, including Sohail Afridi, were taken into custody.
- Tuesday (October 13): The National Assembly session summoned by President Zardari began, and PTI's chief whip wrote to the speaker seeking production orders for nine detained MNAs.
- Wednesday: Speaker Sadiq issued production orders for Sanaullah Khan Masti Khel and Dawar Khan Kundi.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Qaumi Assembly ke speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq ne PTI ke do MNAs, Sanaullah Khan Masti Khel aur Dawar Khan Kundi, ke liye production orders jari kiye hain. Iska matlab hai ke dono ko Punjab police ki hirasat se assembly ke sessions mein laaya jayega aur sitting khatam hone par wapas hirasat mein diya jayega. Yeh faisla Khyber Pakhtunkhwa mein emergency aur governor's rule ke baad aaya hai. Aam shehri ke liye iska seedha asar rozmarra ke kharchon par nahi, lekin parliament ki karwai aur siyasi halat par nazar rakhna zaroori hai.
