ISLAMABAD, Aug 26: Opposition leader in the Senate Raza Rabbani has demanded that the production orders of jailed ARD president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi should be issued to enable him to participate in the no-trust move against Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

In a statement on Saturday, Mr Rabbani said Rule 90 of the National Assembly Rules empower the speaker and there was a tradition that the speaker and the chairman Senate had used the powers to ensure the production of members of parliament in custody.

He said Mr Hashmi was one of the signatories to the no- confidence motion moved against the prime minister and his signatures had been attested by the jail authorities. He said the appeal of Mr Hashmi was pending before the courts and there was no ground in law for which the speaker should refuse to issue the production orders.

He said this was a critical vote and the combined opposition had submitted a charge-sheet of 500 pages based on documents on the corruption of the prime minister and his government.