Privilege Motion
ISLAMABAD: Members of the National Assembly affiliated with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), led by former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, have submitted a privilege motion against several key officials, including the Director General of Anti-Corruption Punjab, the Inspector General of Police, the Inspector General of Prisons, and the District Police Officers (DPOs) of Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin.
The motion was filed in response to the officials’ failure to produce MNA Haji Imtiaz Ahmad Chaudhry in the assembly, despite production orders being issued by the Speaker of the National Assembly.
The privilege motion also includes the names of the Principal Secretary to the National Assembly Speaker and other relevant officials within the assembly.
These individuals are accused of not forwarding the orders of the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Civil Aviation, further exacerbating the situation.
In the motion, PTI members expressed their concerns, stating, “We, the members of the National Assembly, wish to draw attention to a series of grave breaches of our parliamentary privileges.
On July 24, 2024, MNA Haji Ahmad Chaudhry was arrested by law enforcement authorities, including the Punjab Police and the Anti-Corruption Department Punjab, without obtaining prior approval from the Speaker, in violation of Rule 103 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the National Assembly.”
Rule 103 mandates that “approval of the Speaker is required before the arrest, detention, or any similar action against a member of the assembly.
When a member is to be arrested on criminal charges, detained under an executive order, or faces similar legal action, the committing judge, magistrate, or executive authority must immediately seek the Speaker’s approval, indicating the reasons for the arrest or detention.”
The PTI members emphasized that this blatant disregard for Rule 103 represents a significant violation not only of the individual member’s privileges but also of the entire House.
They further noted that despite the Speaker issuing production orders for MNA Haji Imtiaz Ahmad Chaudhry to attend the National Assembly session, he was not produced.
This failure to comply with the Speaker’s lawful orders undermines the member’s right to participate in parliamentary proceedings and constitutes a severe breach of parliamentary norms.
Additionally, the motion highlighted that despite a ruling from the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Civil Aviation, MNA Imtiaz Chaudhry was not produced for a committee meeting.
The Chairman of the Standing Committee is empowered by the rules to ensure the attendance of its members, and the failure to produce a member despite clear instructions represents yet another violation of parliamentary privileges.
These rules are essential for the effective functioning of committees, which play a crucial role in parliamentary oversight.
The privilege motion concluded by requesting that, given the repeated violations of parliamentary privileges, the matter be referred to the Committee on Privileges for a thorough investigation. It called for all relevant officials to appear before the committee to provide their testimonies and explanations regarding the incident.
The PTI members expressed confidence that the motion would receive due consideration and that appropriate actions would be taken to uphold the sanctity of parliamentary privileges.
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