The Ministry of Law and Justice has decided to amend the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in National Assembly (NA) regarding the issuance of the production orders of members of the NA.

According to sources, amendments will be made in the Rule 108 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the NA, 2007, and Section 84 of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate.

Moreover, the amendment draft will be prepared in the next few weeks. The changes in the rules will restrict parliamentarians, involved in corruption cases, from getting production orders.

On July 2, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had recommended the amendments following the meeting of the federal cabinet in Islamabad. All cabinet members had unanimously agreed to the premier’s recommendation that there shouldn’t be any production orders of members who are involved in corruption cases.

The premier had stated that the members have been wrongly using the production orders. Furthermore, the PM Khan had stated that those who had been involved in corruption should not be provided protocol of political prisoners.

Following is the Rule 108 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the NA, 2007.

1. The Speaker of Chairman of a Committee may 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.

2. On a Production Order, signed by the Secretary or by any other officer authorized in this behalf, addressed to the Government of the Province where the member is held in custody, or to the authority concerned, the Provincial Government or such authority shall cause the member in custody to be produced before the Sergeant-at-Arms, who shall, after the conclusion of the sitting or the meeting, deliver the member into the custody of the Provincial Government or other authority concerned.

The debate of the issuance of Production Order has been sparked amongst ministers and members of the NA when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) approached and insisted the Speaker, Asad Qaiser, to issue production orders of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, PML-N leaders Khawaja Saad Rafique and Hamza Shahbaz.

Several politicians and leaders of political parties are being probed for corruption by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and other anti-graft bodies in separate cases.