ISLAMABAD-Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Tanveer Hussain Chairman Public Accounts Committee Tuesday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for issuance of production orders of Khawaja Asif.
A single bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Athar Minallah will conduct hearing of the petition filed by Rana Tanveer through his counsels Barrister Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha and Barrister Omer Azad Malik. In the petition, he cited Speaker National Assembly and Secretary NA as respondents and requested the court to direct the secretary to issue production orders of Khawaja Muhammad Asif, MNA, for attending the coming meetings of the PAC.
The petitioner stated that he is a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and is presently serving as the Chairman of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts He adopted that the Rule 108(1) of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of National Assembly, 2007(the “Rules”) framed under Article 67 of the Constitution empowers the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, or the Chairman of any Standing Committee of the National Assembly to summon a member in custody on the charge of a non-bailable offence to attend a sitting or sittings of the Assembly or meeting of a Committee of which he is a member, if he considers his presence necessary.
Rana Tanveer maintained that the powers given to the Chairman of a Standing Committee of the National Assembly of Pakistan, under the Rule 108(1) of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of National Assembly, 2007.
are absolute, and at the complete discretion of the Chairman, hence making it an inviolable privilege that only he can enjoy, and nobody else infringe.