Imran Khan seeks amendment in Production Orders, says they shouldn't be issued to the corrupt

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday sought an amendment in the laws concerning Production Orders of parliamentarians, saying that the National Assembly speaker should not issue orders for the lawmakers who were detained over graft cases and money laundering. In a meeting with the federal cabinet here, all ministers of the government unanimously agreed to the premier's recommendation that there shouldn't be any Production Orders of members who are involved in corruption cases, Dunya News reported.

Khan also said that the members have been wrongly using the Production Orders. "These sort of prisoners should not be categorised as political prisoners," he added. The Speaker of Chairman of a Committee may summon a member in custody on the charge of a non-bailable offence to attend a sitting or sittings of the Assembly or meeting of a Committee of which he is a member if he considers his presence necessary.

"On a Production Order, signed by the Secretary or by any other officer authorised in this behalf, addressed to the Government of the Province where the member is held in custody, or to the authority concerned, the Provincial Government or such authority shall cause the member in custody to be produced before the Sergeant-at-Arms, who shall, after the conclusion of the sitting or the meeting, deliver the member into the custody of the Provincial Government or other authority concerned," reported Dunya News. The Prime Minister today gave the charge of Production Orders of members of National Assembly to the law ministry.

The debate of the issuance of Production Order sparked after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had requested for the Production Order of former president Asif Ali Zardari, however, the government had expressed reservations over it. The former Pakistan president was arrested yesterday by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a money laundering case worth Rs 4.4 billion.