Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday said the NAB Amendment Ordinance, 2019 would be brought to parliament for approval, asking parliamentarians to put forth “workable and positive” suggestions for further improving the ordinance. In a statement, he said reforms in the NAB law were long overdue as a special parliamentary committee was also set up during the previous PML-N tenure for the purpose.
The body did a lot of work on the reforms but unfortunately, couldn’t finish the assigned task, he added. Shah Mahmood Qureshi stressed that the incumbent government had floated a proposal in the shape of the ordinance. This draft law will be brought to parliament for legislation, the foreign minister said, asking parliamentarians to give suggestions, if they wish, in this regard.
About loopholes in the NAB ordinance, Qureshi said evidence gathered by the anti-graft watchdog in many cases appeared incomplete, while the prosecution’s arguments were weak in other cases, which benefitted the people who looted the national exchequer.
He said the NAB could be revamped with loopholes addressed adequately to make it more effective. He also rejected the impression that the NAB was being used for arm-twisting of political opponents. According to the proposed NAB ordinance, the anti-graft watchdog would no longer be allowed to take action against government employees and the bureau would not seize property of government officials without the orders of the court. If the accountability watchdog cannot complete an investigation against a suspect within three months, the accused would be entitled to bail. In addition, NAB would now only be able to proceed in corruption cases of Rs 500 million and more.
