Opposition leader wants production order be issued for Jamshed Dasti

ISLAMABAD/MULTAN: The opposition leader, Khursheed Shah, has asked the National Assembly speaker to issue production order of arrested MNA Jamshed Dasti so that he could attend the budget session.

Shah has made the request in a letter he wrote on Saturday to the speaker for the production order of Dasti who was arrested on Friday for forcibly opening a canal in Muzaffargarh on May 28. The case against Dasti was lodged by the irrigation department.

In his letter, the opposition leader has stated the MNA was arrested when he was going to his constituency in Muzaffargarh from Islamabad.

Barred from meeting Dasti

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Shah Mehmood Qureshi was stopped from meeting Dasti when he went to Central Jail Multan to meet the MNA on Saturday.

While talking to the media, Shah Mehmood said he had gone to the jail on the orders of the National Assembly speaker to get the release letter signed from Dasti.

He said his party and its chief condemned Dasti's arrested and wanted he be released.

While talking about the attack on Awami Muslim League's Sheikh Rasheed on the National Assembly building premises, The PTI leader said the government was resorting to such tactics against the opposition parties in confusion as it was pressurised by the Joint Investigation Team. 

Protesting arrest

On the other hand, protest against the arrest of Dasti was under way near Kumharan Wala Chowk in Multan. The demonstration was carried out by workers of Dasti's Awami Raaj Party, who chanted slogans against the government. The protesting workers said Dasti was being punished for helping the poor farmers. They said he opened the canal to irrigate the farmers' lands.

The protesters warned the government to release the MNA within 24 hours or they would expand their demonstration.