NA passes amendment requiring speaker approval for arresting lawmaker

The National Assembly (NA) passed on Thursday amendments to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, it was reported.

The rules required authorities to seek the NA speaker’s approval prior to arresting a lawmaker. Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani presided over the session during which Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Murtaza Javed Abbasi presented the amendment resolutions.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif proposed that the amendment should also make it mandatory for the speaker or chairman of a committee to issue a production order for a lawmaker who was arrested.

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Under the amendments, approval of the speaker shall be required before the arrest and detention of a member on a criminal charge, and no member shall be arrested within the precincts of the assembly.

The production order of an arrested member has also been declared mandatory while the speaker has been authorized to declare parliament lodges or any other suitable place in Islamabad as sub-jail for the arrested member.

Meanwhile, the NA recognized the formation of All Parties Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights. The resolution was tabled by PML-N lawmaker and Parliamentary Secretary on Law and Justice Mehnaz Akbar Aziz.

The Caucus will work on children's issues mainly education, health, corporal punishment, bonded labor, all form of abuse, etc. Also, work on existing & new laws to create a child-friendly society," the official handle of NA tweeted.

Meanwhile, NA session has been adjourned to meet again on Friday, October 21st.