ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) members of parliament, led by former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, have submitted a privilege motion against several Punjab officials, including the Director General of Anti-Corruption Punjab, Inspector Generals of Police and Prisons, and District Police Officers of Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin. The motion was filed due to their failure to produce MNA Haji Imtiaz Ahmad Chaudhry before the assembly, despite production orders issued by the NA speaker.
The motion also names the principal secretary to the NA speaker and other relevant assembly officials who did not forward the orders from the chairman of the standing committee on aviation.
The PTI members highlighted a series of violations of parliamentary privileges, starting with the arrest of MNA Haji Ahmad Chaudhry on July 24, 2024, without prior approval from the Speaker, in contravention of Rule 103 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the National Assembly. This rule requires the speaker’s approval before the arrest or detention of a member.
The motion emphasizes that the failure to comply with the speaker’s production orders, which would have allowed MNA Haji Imtiaz Ahmad Chaudhry to attend the National Assembly session, is a severe breach of parliamentary norms. Additionally, despite a ruling from the chairman of the Standing Committee on Civil Aviation, the MNA was not produced for a committee meeting, constituting another violation of parliamentary privileges.
The PTI lawmakers requested that the matter be referred to the committee on privileges for investigation, with all relevant officials summoned to provide their testimonies and explanations. The motion calls for necessary actions to uphold the sanctity of parliamentary privileges.
