Khawaja Saad could pass just one night in his lodge declared as sub-jail

ISLAMABAD: Prominent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and a Member of the National Assembly Khawaja Saad Rafique could pass just one night in his Islamabad Parliamentary lodge after it was declared a sub-jail by the federal capital administration.

“Khawaja Saad has back problem that aggravates during the tedious daily to-and-fro travel by road between Lahore and Islamabad. The health issue was brought to the notice of Interior Minister Brig. (R) Ijaz Shah, who allowed him to stay in his Parliamentary lodge in Islamabad, declaring it as a sub-jail, till the conclusion of the ongoing National Assembly session,” an informed source told The News.

However, the permission was abruptly dispensed with by influential higher government quarters, and not by the interior minister, after the MNA passed just one night in his lodge, he said. Khawaja Saad lived the Friday-Saturday night in the lodge. On Saturday, he was transported to Lahore. On Monday, he was brought to Islamabad from Lahore and taken back to Lahore the same day.

The similar exercise was repeated on Tuesday, which will also be replayed on Thursday. The MNA, arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in December, 2018 is imprisoned in the Lahore Camp Jail on judicial remand for the past few months after his physical remand with the anti-graft agency ended. The source said that nearly six vehicles including the police escort are used for Khawaja Saad’s travel between Lahore and Islamabad and back, which is a waste of public money on a futile exercise. The current National Assembly session will continue till Feb 17, as per the official schedule. An earlier official notification, which has been revoked, had said that the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad has declared lodge number 204 as sub-jail for keeping Khawaja Saad, who is an under-trial prisoner in a NAB case.

It said that the MNA will be kept in the lodge from January 30 till conclusion of the current National Assembly session. The outer guard will be provided by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police.

The decision is covered under section 541 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1860, read with Section 3 of the Prison Act, 1894, and ministry of justice and parliamentary affairs notification dated December 31, 1980. Record shows that in the past the incarcerated MPs, whose production orders were issued by the National Assembly Speaker or the Senate Chairman, as the case may be, had been allowed by authorities to stay in the federal capital till the conclusion of the parliament’s sessions. Such political decisions are always taken with the permission of highest government authorities.