PHC again issues production order of minority MPA in KP Assembly

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday again issued direction to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to issue production order of minority Member Provincial Assembly Baldev Kumar in the assembly for taking oath of his office as a legislator.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Qalandar Ali Khan and Justice Muhammad Ayub Khan issued the direction.

The bench also directed other respondent members’ provincial assembly including Arbab Jahandad, Shah Farman, Mehmood Bhetani, Maulana Lutfur Rehman and Mufti Fazal Ghafoor to submit their replies in a contempt of court petition against them.

The bench said that if the respondents failed to submit reply before the next hearing, they will have to appear in person in the case.

Interestingly, the high court wants implementation of its decision and directed the speaker to issue the production order of the petitioner and take oath from him as member of the assembly, but on the other hand both the treasury and opposition members of the assembly are against the oath from Baldev Kumar as they allege he is the killer of an honourable member of the house.

The petitioner’s lawyer Mohib Jan Salarzai submitted before the bench that only one month had been left the last session of the KP Assembly and that the speaker was adopting delaying tactics.