Opposition leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Monday said his party wanted the new accountability commission to be headed by a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court, who should be appointed by the Prime Minister after consultation with the opposition leader and confirmation of the Parliamentary Committee through public hearing.
Addressing a new conference at the Parliament House, Nisar said there were differences between the treasury and the opposition on many clauses of the accountability bill. However, he opined, the government has agreed to most of the Pakistan Muslin League (N) demands in the second last meeting of the Committee on Law and Justice.
Giving a comparative detail of clause by clause difference between the two parties on accountability bill, he said his party wanted that accountability Commission should have the purview to take up the cases from January, 1 1985 while the government wanted inclusion of last three years period only. Nisar said that the government has agreed to their demand in principle of bringing in the purview of the proposed commission cases from 1985. The government has also agreed to the demand of inclusion of the grade 17 and above officials, Chairman/Vice Chairman district Municipal Committees and Nazims in the accountability process.
While on the demand of PML-N, he said that imprisonment for corruption in the bill was increased to 14 years instead of 7 years, proposed in the original bill or fine along with disqualification for five years. He said that the government has also accepted their demand that a judge of High Court would hear the corruption cases and appeal against his decision could be filed in the Supreme Court.
The removal of the chairman should be through filing a reference under the article 209 of the Constitution and the commission should have the total fiscal and administrative autonomy. He said that appointment of prosecutor and deputy prosecutor general should be made by the accountability commission and not by the government or the Ministry of Law and Justice.
He said that his party has convened a meeting today (Tuesday) in Lahore to decide about future strategy on the issue in case the government did not incorporate their recommendations in the final bill. Nisar vehemently said that his party wanted totally independent Accountability Commission having full fiscal and administrative autonomy and the removal of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman should be through judicial process.
He also revealed that even three interventions by the Prime Minister could not ensure clearance of the bill for an independent commission and Standing Committee on law and Justice acting on the advice of hidden forces in the treasury time and again backed off from the agreed clauses.
The opposition leader said the Prime Minister and the Minister of Law and Justice have recently contacted him and later had taken recommendations of the opposition on the new law. "I have told him that legislation of accountability should be fair and parliamentarians should present themselves for accountability."
He deplored that the government has stopped funds of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as a result it is unable to pursue cases in the court. Meanwhile, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal talking to Business Recorder categorically rejected that his party would be part of any government move to protect the beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) by bringing another law aimed at shifting the NRO cases from the apex court to the new Accountability Commission.
Commenting on the news report about government's plan to bring a new law for protecting the NRO beneficiaries, PML-N Secretary Information said that his party would not only favour recovery of money from the NRO beneficiaries, but also from those who got banks' loans written off.
Ahsan added that his party would not only oppose such a plan of the government but would also strongly resist it in and outside the Parliament. He said it was not based on facts that PML-N has been taken into confidence on such a law. "I do not think that PPP will make another mistake at this stage by indulging in such things as it would tantamount to a suicide attack," he added.
Commenting on the development, prominent lawyer Senator SM Zafar said it would be very difficult to bring such an ordinance at this stage due to the strong reaction from every front. He added that the NRO has already been repealed and a similar Ordinance would have to be rectified by the Parliament, which would be difficult task for the government. "Yes! Through law it is possible to promulgate an Ordinance twice, it prohibits issuing it (Ordinance) again and again. However, the move would have negative repercussions particularly at the time when government is in trouble," he commented.
Commenting on the authority of the President to issue an Ordinance at the time when the relevant matter is in the apex court, he said that President and Supreme Court are two parallel institutions both have their defined functions, but at the same time the Constitution also speaks of avoiding conflicts while exercising the powers of state institutions. However, he opined, the President could issue such Ordinance but it would weaken government's moral position at the time when Parliament is also functioning. Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar could not be reached for comments.
Comments
Comments are closed.