ISLAMABAD: Senate chief Yousaf Raza Gilani has ruled that the disobedience of the orders of the chairman Senate constitutes a breach of privilege – and “such disregard for parliamentary authority cannot be allowed to persist unchecked, as it threatens the institutional integrity of the Senate and the broader democratic framework.”
Taking notice of the non-implementation of the production order, on part of the government, of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Ejaz Chaudhary, the chairman Senate issued a detailed ruling, in the Senate session on Saturday, in which he referred this matter to the Senate’s Privileges Committee for its consideration and report.
In the ruling, Gilani stated that on 13 January 2025, he, in the exercise of powers conferred under Rule 84(1) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012, issued production order in respect of Senator Chaudhary.
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However, despite the issuance of this order, the senator was not produced before the House during the session, thereby impeding his right to participate in parliamentary proceedings, the ruling read.
The chairman Senate ruled that under Rule 79 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012, it is explicitly provided that when a case is registered against a member, or a member is arrested on a criminal charge, convicted, or detained under an executive order, the committing judge, magistrate, or executive authority is duty-bound to immediately intimate such fact to the chairman Senate, indicating the reasons for the arrest, detention or imprisonment of the member in the appropriate form prescribed in the Second Schedule.
“Regrettably, no such intimation was received by my office in this instance, reflecting a clear violation of established parliamentary procedures and disregard for institutional protocol,” the ruling stated.
“On 7 March 2025, in the continued exercise of my authority under Rule 84(1) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 2012, I issued production orders once again for Senator Ejaz Chaudhary and also for Senator Aon Abbas. In partial compliance with the orders, Senator Aon Abbas has been produced before the Senate today. However, yet again, the directives concerning Senator Ejaz Chaudhary have not been fulfilled, amounting to non-compliance with the lawful orders of the chair,” observed the Senate chief in his ruling.
“This is not an unprecedented situation,” recalled Gilani in the ruling. “When I was Speaker of the National Assembly, a similar situation arose where production orders were not implemented. At that time, in the interest of upholding parliamentary privileges, I was compelled to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee. Once again, this House is faced with a situation where the orders of its custodian are not being implemented.”
“As per Rule 71 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012, disobedience of the orders of the chairman Senate constitutes a breach of privilege. Such disregard for parliamentary authority cannot be allowed to persist unchecked, as it threatens the institutional integrity of the Senate and the broader democratic framework,” says the ruling.
Earlier, speaking on the floor of the House, Senator Abbas thanked the Senate chief for issuing his production order. He said up to 20 persons raided his house and factory. “They thrashed me, asked for my mobile phones and took me away. They produced me before a judge who informed me that I was facing charges of illegally hunting five deer,” Abbas said.
The senator demanded that his production order be cancelled. “I want to go back to jail— I don’t want to be here -till Ejaz Chaudhary is produced here,” he said. The PTI senator was about to walk out of the House in protest to non-implementation of Chaudhary’s production order, but the chairman Senate stopped him.
Meanwhile, the House passed a unanimous resolution, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, calling upon the government to ensure women rights. Sherry Rehman from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) moved the resolution.
The House was adjourned till Tuesday.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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