LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi on Tuesday announced to have issued the production orders for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Khawaja Salman Rafique, enabling the incarcerated lawmaker to attend the assembly session on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Salman Rafique, along with his brother and PML-N MNA Khawaja Saad Rafique, is currently under the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) over his alleged involvement in the Paragon Housing Society scandal.
On Monday, the provincial house had unanimously empowered the speaker to issue production orders of an incarcerated MPA.
“This is a historical step as earlier PA, unlike the National, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh and Balochistan assemblies, did not have the power to issue production orders of any under-trial lawmaker,” the provincial assembly speaker said.
He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Provincial Law Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja and all lawmakers were duly consulted in this regard.
The speaker said that the opposition was a part of the house and he valued their views. “Credit for the amendment to the rules of procedure to issue production orders goes to both the government and opposition,” Elahi concluded.