ISLAMABAD: National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser on Friday issued orders to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for the production of Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif in the October 29 session.
Sharif was arrested by the NAB Lahore authorities in the Ashiana housing scam case on Oct 5 and since then he has been in detention on physical remand.
Qaiser earlier convened a NA session on October 29.
Members of the main opposition PML-N had on Wednesday formally submitted an application to the NA Secretariat, requesting the speaker to issue a production order for opposition leader and party president Sharif so that he could attend the upcoming session of the house beginning on Oct 29.
The productions orders have been issued under Rule 108 of the rules of procedure and conduct of the business in the National Assembly 2007, according to a spokesperson of the speaker’s office.
The NA rules of procedure allow the speaker to issue orders for the production of any under-custody member of the lower house if he/she considers the MNA’s presence in a session to be necessary.
Shehbaz had also attended the NA session on October 17 while being in NAB’s custody. “This is the first time in history that an opposition leader is arrested without any charges in such a hasty manner,” he said while delivering a speech on the floor of the house.