LAHORE: The issue regarding the production orders of former health minister Khawaja Salman Rafique and now a Member of Provincial Assembly of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) who is in the custody of National Accountability Bureau these days on physical remand, once again came in the Punjab Assembly for second consecutive day on Thursday during the ongoing session. Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi instructed Law Minister Raja Basharat to consult the chief minister in order to bring amendments in the rules of business of Punjab Assembly to empower the speaker to issue the production orders of any arrested members of the house. According to the law minister, there is no provision available in the existing rules of business of the Punjab Assembly that can enable the speaker to issue the production orders of any arrested member and according to him the previous governments of PML-N are responsible for it. Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said that former Punjab CM Shehbaz Sharif did not even think to make law on the production orders during his stints as CM as he thought that PML-N will always form government in Punjab and therefore there is no need to legislate on the production orders. “I have 34 years experience of parliamentary politics and something good should be happened now. We should bring unanimous bill to amend the law in order to empower the Speaker to issue production orders of arrested members of the house,” Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said. Speaking on a point of order, former two-time speaker and now an MPA of PML-N from Kasur, Rana Iqbal said that Pervaiz Elahi was ruling the province before the government of former Punjab CM Shehbaz Sharif and he is once again in power now and why he didn’t do anything over the issue of production orders. “If you have any sympathy with the member of your house then you should bring Salman Rafique to this house to give him opportunity to speak his point of view,” Rana Iqbal said, adding that the opposition will support the government over such legislations regarding the production orders. Public Prosecution Minister Chaudhry Zaheeruddin said on the occasion that it seems that now elected houses would be run on production orders and the law minister should bring the legislation on production orders in the ongoing session. He further added that the last government of PML-N didn’t issue the production orders of a member of the house in 2011. Parliamentary leader of Rah-e-Haq party Maulana Muawia Azam said that the PML-N didn’t issue the production orders of MPAs Ashraf Sohna, Moonis Elahi and Maulana Azam Tariq in the past and now they are demanding the production orders of their own MPA when they are facing the hard times. Waris Shad of PML-N also emphasised to issue the production orders of Khawaja Salman Rafique while saying that we all should now move on and avoid discussing the past events. Earlier, the session of Punjab Assembly started with a delay of more than an hour from its scheduled time with Elahi in the chair and answers related to industries, commerce and investment and sports and youth affairs were also given in the Q&A session. The session was later adjourned for today (Friday). Separately, in a move to pay rich tribute to martyrs of Army Public School (APS), a resolution was tabled in Punjab Assembly to declare December 16, as National Day Against Terrorism & Extremism. As per details, a resolution to pay homage to APS Peshawar victims was submitted by PML-N MPA Hina Pervez Butt in Punjab Assembly. “The house shows solidarity with the heirs of the victims, who laid their lives in a brutal assault at APS on December 16, 2014,” the resolution reads. The resolution demands from the house to declare December 16, as a National Day against terrorism and extremism. On December 16 back in 2014, six terrorists stormed the school and martyred around 150 students and teachers. The security forces swiftly responded to the attack and killed all the terrorists. The tragedy that shook the nation brought unity among Pakistan’s political stakeholders who set aside their differences and sat together to chalk out a counter-terrorism strategy. After the incident, the government chalked out the National Action Plan to eliminate terrorism and extremism from the country. Pakistan Army had launched its Zarb-e-Azb operation against militants’ infested North Waziristan tribal region, which was considered as the nerve centre of militancy in the country. The Army had claimed major successes in this tribal region, which is bordering Afghanistan. Published in Daily Times, December 14th 2018.