Major political parties reject NAB amendment ordinance

ISLAMABAD: The major opposition parties Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) have rejected the NAB amendment ordinance and announced to use all legal and parliamentary tools to oppose it, saying that it was based on the mala fide intention and it is an NRO brought by Prime Minister Imran Khan to cover up three years of black deeds and thefts.

PPP, while announcing to oppose the ordinance inside and outside the Parliament, questioned that whether there was no one else in the country who could be appointed the head of the NAB as the institutions do not need personalities.

The PMLN, while rejecting the NAB amendment ordinance, said PMLN categorically rejects this ordinance, it is based on mala fide intentions as the law was changed to advance the agenda of political revenge, which would lead to more anarchy and chaos in the country. PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari said the extension of 120 days to the NAB chairman through an ordinance is a question mark as the extension is being extended to the person whose performance has been questioned by the courts.”

He said the nation is well aware why the PTI government desperate for the extension of NAB chairman and what will be achieved through the extension. He said the NAB chairman has lost the moral justification to remain chairman due to his proven impartiality. “Signing an ordinance by the president for a single person would be tantamount to diminishing the dignity of the presidency,” he said.

He raised the question as to whether the purpose of extending the current chairman NAB is to keep the scandals of sugar, flour, petrol, medicine, BRT, LNG, Ring Road, Billion Tree to keep at the cold storage of NAB.

While Information Secretary PMLN Marriyum Aurangzeb said PMLN has categorically rejected the NAB amendment ordinance calling it an open attack on the independence of the judiciary with a draconian black law, based on malice, and designed to further the agenda of political victimisation.

Marriyum said the PTI government was seeking to change the entire law for the sake of one man, only to advance their agenda of political revenge and persecution. ”This ordinance will lead to more anarchy, chaos and disarray in the country,” she said.

She slammed the PTI government’s ordinance, saying the executive had taken over the appointment and transfer of judges as articles 175 and 203 were violated which are the constitutional principle of independence of the judiciary. “This is a grand conspiracy by Imran Khan to install judges of his own choice across the country when and where he pleases. This is being done to alter the 150-year old ‘Qanoon-e-Shahaadat ‘to persecute and punish political opponents within a matter of days through cherry-picked, blue-eyed judges,” she said.

She said to make the bail of political opponents impossible, the ordinance dictates that every accused would need to submit an amount with the bail bond, equal to what he/she is accused of embezzling, which would be very high. “This ordinance is a return of favour to the NAB chairman for his NAB-Niazi alliance and abuse of power and institution to persecute members of opposition”, the former information minister said.

She said those who alleged Rs15 billion in corruption were now seeking political revenge over false accusations of Rs300 million. “Imran Khan had brought this black law with an intention that political opponents should be imprisoned and no one should question his looting of the country. This is not an ordinance, it is an NRO brought by Imran to cover up three years of his black deeds and thefts”, she lambasted. She said PTI had disrespected the Parliament by issuing an ordinance as on such a serious and sensitive issue, fundamental legal changes through ordinances are illegal and PMLN will strongly oppose them.

She said Imran Khan has discovered an illegal way of not consulting the Leader of the Opposition and Parliament. She stressed that the PMLN categorically rejects this illegal and blatant deviation from court decisions. “The party's legal experts were being consulted to challenge this draconian law at every legal forum”, she said.

While, PPP Parliamentarians Central Information Secretary Shazia Atta Marri has said that the NAB amendment ordinance is a plan to save government ministers and advisers. “Extension of NAB chairman's term through ordinance is a violation of constitution and law.’ She said.

She said incumbent NAB chairman has become controversial by giving relief to government ministers and advisers. “The NAB chairman has taken no action on Imran Khan's helicopter case, Malam Jabba scandal, Peshawar BRT, Rawalpindi Ring Road,” she said. She said the government is also preparing to provide relief to the people in the Pandora Papers’ through the ordinance.

The PPP Information Secretary said it will be impossible for the common man to get a bail as per ordinance but ministers and advisers will be safe. “The post of Chief Justice of Pakistan is also being made controversial in the NAB ordinance,” she said.

Shazia Marri said accountability should be the same for everyone which is not seen in this ordinance. “We reject every decision that goes against the spirit of the Constitution and the law,” she said.

She said the government's decision regarding to extend the tenure of NAB chairman through a presidential ordinance is tantamount to distorting the constitution and law of the country.

She said that ruling government is only taking revenge from opposition parties in the name of accountability and the apex court had also declared the present NAB a source of political revenge.