Parliamentarians on Monday said that efforts should be made to further improve National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance instead of limiting its jurisdiction to federal government departments. Speaking at the National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Ali Muhammad Khan said that the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2016" {Amendment of Sections 5, 25, 27, 33B, 33C and 36 Ordinance XVIII of 1999} moved by MNA Imran Zafar Laghari is very comprehensive therefore it should not be rejected.
"We need to further strengthen this institution instead of limiting its scope to only the federal government departments," he further said. The meeting was presided over by MNA Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf. He said that amendments should be made in the NAB ordinance to end plea bargain in the bureau which facilitates corrupt elements. Under the law all provinces can make their independent commission, he said.
Muhammad Moeen Wattoo, MNA Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), said that there is a need to rationalise NAB laws so that the growing blackmailing by the bureau comes to an end. He said that anti-corruption departments have been set up in all provinces to curb corruption but unfortunately these departments did not play their due role. Similarly, NAB was set up to curb corruption in the country but now in NAB blackmailing continues, as it does in provincial anti-corruption departments, he said.
Syed Naveed Qamar Shah, MNA Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), while supporting the bill said that following 18th amendment anti corruption is a provincial matter therefore all institutions dealing with corruption should be devolved to provinces. PML-N Mumtaz Ahmad Tarar said that he supports this bill. MNA Imran Zafar Laghari, mover of the bill, seeking to delete the provisions extending the jurisdiction of NAB in provincial government departments from NAB ordinance said that the National Accountability ordinance (NAO) 1999 should be confined only to the federal government departments and should not have any applicability within the provinces.
The committee after detail deliberation over the bill recommended that the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2016 {Amendment of Sections 5, 25, 27, 33B, 33C and 36 Ordinance XVIII of 1999} moved Imran Zafar Laghari, may be deferred for the time being and the same would be considered in the next meeting.
The committee recommended that the National Accountability Ordinance (Amendment) Bill, 2015 (Omission of Section 28 Ordinance XVIII of 1999) moved by Muhammad Ayaz Soomro, MNA, the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2015 (Amendment of Article 63, Insertion of Article 63 B) moved by Muhammad Raza Hayat Harraj, MNA, the Holders of Public Exchequer (Accountability) Bill, 2015 (Repeal of NAB Ordinance 1999) moved by Muhammad Raza Hayat Harraj, MNA and the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2016 (Amendment of Sections 6, 25, 26, 31B and 33D, Ordinance XVIII of 1999) moved by Dr Arif Alvi, MNA may be deferred as mover of all the Bills were not present in the meeting of the Standing Committee.
The committee after detailed consideration of the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2016 (Amendment of Sections 5 & 57, Act XXXV of 1973) (Government Bill), the Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2016" (Amendment of Sections 91, 92 & 104, Act V of 1908) (Government Bill), the Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2016 {Amendment of Section 4, Act XVII of 2010} (Government Bill) and the Civil Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2016 {Amendment of Section 18, W.P. Ordinance II of 1962} (Government Bill) had unanimously recommended to pass each bill without any amendment therein. MNA Muhammad Moeen Wattoo, Kiran Haider, Shagufta Jumani and senior officials also attended the meeting.