Aoun Abbas produced in Senate on chairman's orders

ISLAMABAD: In an unprecedented move, Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani Saturday referred the issue of non-compliance with production orders for PTI legislator Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhry to the house privileges committee.

He had issued production orders on Friday for another PTI Senator Aoun Abbas Bappi, who was produced in the house on Saturday. However, PTI’s Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, who was arrested in January, was not produced in the house despite issuance of his production orders on January 13. Aoun Abbas was arrested on Thursday by the Bahawalpur police for allegedly hunting an endangered chinkara gazelle.

Members from both sides of the aisle warmly welcomed the Senate chairman, who came back to preside over the session after a gap of several sittings, as his earlier orders for Ejaz Chaudhry, issued on January 13, were not complied with.

He read out the ruling on non-compliance of his orders, and said, “As per rule 71 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012, disobedience of the orders of the Senate chairman constitutes a breach of privilege. Such disregard for parliamentary authority cannot be allowed to persist unchecked, as it threatens the institutional integrity of the Senate and the broader democratic framework”.

Taking the floor, Senator Bappi made an emotional speech and narrated the story of his arrest from his house. The PTI legislator continued that a “double operation” was conducted as his factory was raided as well. He said he was grabbed from his collar before he was dragged outside and made to sit in a vehicle.

Senator Bappi believed that his ‘fault’ was running a campaign against inflation in south Punjab, staying loyal to Imran Khan and raising his voice for incarcerated PTI leaders. He remarked, “These are my faults for which I have faced punishment for two days and might face it in future as well”. After the chairman’s ruling, leader of the opposition and senior PTI leader Shibli Faraz said, regretted that the Senate was incomplete and had no representation from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, whereas the rest of provinces had full representation in the House, wondering how Senate can be called the House of Federation under the present circumstances.

However, he praised Gilani for issuing production orders but stressed that their main objective would be met when Ejaz Chaudhry would be produced in the House.