Cabinet approves NRO

The Cabinet, which met here on Friday, with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in the chair, approved draft of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) 2007, which has been finalised by political and legal teams of the government and Pakistan People''s Party (PPP).
After Cabinet meeting, secretary-general, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), Minister for Information Muhammad Ali Durrani and Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Haimd briefed the journalists about the political and legal implications of the proposed NRO.
PML (Q) political team comprised Shujaat Hussain, Hamid Nasir Chatta and Mushahid Hussain, while PPP panel comprised Amin Fahim, Nadir Pervez and Dr Safdar Abbasi, who held three rounds of deliberations on September 24, 25 and 26 in Islamabad during which a broad draft, understanding or agreement was prepared, said Mushahid. He said that the draft, prepared by the political team, was then placed before the legal teams of both sides to give it the final shape.
PML-Q team was headed by Law Minister Zahid Hamid and Mushahid Hussain while PPP experts were Farooq A Naik and Dr Safdar Abbasi which held negotiations on September 27 and 28 while the final round was held on October 3, in which by and large all the issues were resolved and NRO was given final shape.
Journalists covering the press conference hurled volleys of questions to the government team, blaming the regime for giving amnesty only to Benazir Bhutto, her spouse Asif Zardari and a few former bureaucrats who looted national wealth and fled from the county.
The government team failed to satisfy the questioners and just said that it was an important step in creating an atmosphere of tolerance and harmony in national politics, free of vendetta and polarisation that marred the national political scene in 1980s and 1990s.
In reply to a question, Mushahid said that five cases had been constituted against Benazir and six cases were pending against Asif Zardari, but he did not say how much public money had been spent on these cases by the government so far.
Asked when an amnesty was being given to one political party which would participate in general elections why another key stakeholder, Nawaz Sharif, was being kept away, Mushahid declared that President Pervez Musharraf in his latest interview had said that Nawaz Sharif would be allowed to come back after general elections.
About serious differences in PML-Q ranks on the controversial NRO, he did not comment, and just said that the party''s head himself was involved in negotiations with the PPP. In reply to a question, Law Minister said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) would now be accountable to Parliament.
He said that the ''ordinance'' would not cover cases registered in connection with co-operative societies and finance investment companies. He said that Section 494 of Criminal Procedure Code was also being amended, empowering Federal and Provincial Governments to withdraw, from prosecution, cases against any person, whether political or not, if he is found to be falsely involved for political reasons and victimisation.
A Review Board would be set up to exercise these power. The Federal Review Board would be headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court and Attorney General of Pakistan and Federal Law Secretary would be its members. Provincial Review Boards would be led by a retired judge of the high court and its members would include advocate-generals and provincial law secretaries.
Earlier, the Prime Minister remarked that the proposed ''Ordinance'' included important elements to ensure transparency of election process through amendment in the Representation of the People Act under which the returning officer shall give a copy of the count results to all contesting candidates.
This, he said, was a major initiative, which would go a long way in checking and eliminating election malpractice''s and tampering with the ballot boxes. He said his government took pride in the fact that it took this decision in the best interest of the country where the election process has in the past been subjected to accusations and counter-accusations.
The Prime Minister referred to the provision of the special Parliamentary Committee on Ethics in the proposed ordinance under which no sitting Member of the Parliament or a Provincial Assembly shall be arrested without taking into consideration the recommendation of the Committee on Ethics. This, he said, would reduce harassment of political opponents under the pretext of accountability as has been witnessed in the past.
On the time frame of 1986 to 1999 laid down in the Ordinance, the Prime Minister reiterated that the period between 1999 and 2007, which included the five years of the present ruling coalition which has practised transparency and good governance by changing policies and procedures and reducing discretion, where possible.
He said: "We are proud of the performance of this government, which managed things transparently and fairly and added that his government had brought this Ordinance only to inject reconciliation and harmony in national politics even though his government was not a beneficiary of this law."