The failure of the Speaker of the National Assembly to issue production orders for jailed members of the House does not reflect well on the party whose ticket he was elected on. The Speaker faces something of a unique situation, with no less than six members under detention of one kind or another. Mr Asif Zardari, Kh Saad rafique and Mr Shahid Khaqan Abbassi are in NAB custody, Rana Sanaullah is being held after a drug bust, while Mr Mohsin Dawar and Mr Ali Wazir have been detained over a firing incident on a government checkpost. The issue of production orders is sensitive enough for the presding officer, at that time the Deputy Speaker, to have turned off the microphone of PPP member Syed Naveed Qamar, while he was speaking about the issue. Mr Qamar also disclosed that production orders had indeed been issued for four members had indeed been issued on Friday afternoon, including Mr Zardari, but had been suddenly withdrawn soon after. At the same time, he complained, the House Committee meetings were being put off, which was an unprecedented violation of parliamentary privilege.
All the government seems to be achieving by a refusal to bow to parliamentary norms, and produce members none of whom has been formally charged with any crime, is to provide the opposition with a new unifying issue after the defeat of its move to oust the Senate Chairman. Not only have both parties had members charged, but now both parties are seeing production orders refused for those members. As Syed Naveed said, the opposition wanted to debate a whole range of issues, such as the government’s inflationary policies and the risks faced by the country because of the heightened tensions in Kashmir. Bringing them it to discussions about the production of members and the privileges of parliamentary committees is retrogressive. Instead of discussing urgently needed legislation, opposition members are being forced to reopen issues that had been settled centuries ago, half a world away.
The government should remember that it is a creature of democracy, and of the legislature. It holds office because it won a majority in the National Assembly. Any weakening of that institution can only result in a loss to the government and open the doors to adventurers of various hues.
