Daily Times

National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar Wednesday issued production orders of former president Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique.

Both the leaders were arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in separate graft cases.

The Pakistan People’s Party leader was arrested by NAB in the fake bank accounts case on June 10 after Islamabad High Court rejected his plea seeking extension in his interim bail in the case.

The production orders have been issued for the ongoing budget session which is expected to last till June 29.

Opposition members protest against govt during budget session

Earlier in the day, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari acknowledged Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) efforts for demanding production order for former president Asif Ali Zardari. “I must appreciate MQM for speaking up for democratic constitutional rights regardless of political differences. On the floor of the House, they demanded the production order of former president Asif Ali Zardari. Innocent until proven guilty is a right not a privilege,” he tweeted.

“Despite one year of cooperation, no flight risk and no conviction, former president Zardari has been arrested so that the government can rig the budget. People of Nawabshah deprived of their right to be represented in budget process. First time in the history of Pakistan, four members arrested and not produced in NA,” he said. Members of the opposition and government coalition parties on Wednesday had signed a petition for the issuance of Zardari’s production orders. At the request of the PPP, members of the government coalition parties also signed the petition application. The petition application was signed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Syed Aminul Haque, Balochistan National Party Chairman Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Balochistan Awami Party’s Khalid Magsi and Jamhoori Wattan Party’s Shahzain Bugti.