The top legal wizards Saturday said that recently promulgated National Accountability Bureau (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 is 'discriminatory and aims at protecting Prime Minister Imran Khan's aides involved in corrupt practices.
Talking to Business Recorder, former president Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Kamran Murtaza said that NAB Ordinance 2019 is 'person-specific' which can be struck down by the court as it has solely been done to save the corrupt ministers and bureaucrats.
"The government has promulgated the ordinance just to protect its own people, as there are people who are allegedly involved in corruption," he added. He said that aim of the ruling PTI is not to end corruption but to use the law to change the loyalties of opponents and punish those who dared to challenge it.
Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Syed Amjad Ali Shah said that the court can strike down the ordinance if it finds any anomaly or discriminatory in it. He said that former dictator Pervez Musharraf's military regime created the draconian NAB law as an instrument for political engineering and till date it is being used against political opponents.
Former vice president SCBA Muhammad Ikram Chaudhry said that Imran Khan has 'virtually surrendered' before the pressure groups which include people within Khan's own party as well as civil and military bureaucracy. He said that the ordinance culture by respective governments including the ruling PTI would have serious repercussions as it will weaken the Parliament.
Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani said the motive behind bringing NAB Ordinance is to save Prime Minister Imran Khan and his allies. He said that NAB is a black law due to which the people were jailed and they committed suicide, but NAB did not change its attitude.
"Imran Khan himself once said that some of his friends are under NAB scrutiny and now he must be happy as the amendment ordinance saved all his aides from accountability," he lamented. He alleged the amendment bill will benefit corrupt bureaucrats and businessmen as well as Aleema Baji (sister of Prime Minister Khan), adding this is not accountability but victimization under the pretext of accountability.
Meanwhile, an application was submitted in the Supreme Court on Saturday, seeking to strike down the recently promulgated National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019, terming it 'discriminatory.'
The application filed by a social activist Syed Mehmood Akhtar Naqi pleaded the apex court to immediately suspend the National Accountability Bureau (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019, saying it is against Article 25 of the Constitution, and is an attempt to protect the 'corruption of government ministers and officials.' Naqvi has made the federation, chairman NAB, Law Ministry, interior secretary, foreign secretary and defense secretary as respondents.
The petitioner has taken the plea that NAB Amendment Ordinance 2019 is alien to article 25 of the Constitution and is a bid to protect corruption of government officials and ministers. The petitioner further stated all the citizens are equal in the eyes of law according to article 25 of the Constitution and the said amendment ordinance is based on mala fide intent.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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