ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amended ordinance 2021 has finally landed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). A single bench of IHC of chief justice, Athar Minallah on Thursday
IHC chief justice held preliminary hearing into the case and issued notice to the presidency, prime minister office, secretary Law, secretary National, secretary Senate and NAB chairman and ordered them to submit their response to the court within 14 days.. The court has summoned attorney general to give legal opinion on the matter.
Latif Qureshi, a common citizen of Pakistan, had challenged the amended NAB ordinance 2021 on the plea that the amendment made in NAB ordinance was malafide and introduced to protect the corrupt elements currently holding key positions in the government.
Dr GM chaudhary advocate argued before the court as counsel for the petitioner. He pleaded before the court that after controversial amendment in NAB ordinance all corrupt elements have been exempted from its domain which makes entire exercise made by the presidency on behalf of the government dubious. He said NAB in existing shape can only probe the peons as all other powerful and elite of this country including politicians, bureaucracy and other influential have been exempted from NAB domain.
“Today there is none of the key players of this country accountable to NAB and hence there was no logic in having NAB without any authority”, GM Chaudhary advocate asserted.
He said the amended NAB ordinance dated October 8, 2021 was basically a deliberate attempt of PTI to protect its own ministers and others who were involved in corruption and corrupt practices. Dr GM Chaudhary pleaded to the court that it should terminate NAB amended ordinance 2921 to establish the rule of law in the country. He also prayed to the court to declare decisions taken by NAB chairman after his retirement date as illegal and impracticable.
The Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) had promulgated amended NAB ordinance 2021 on October 8, 2021 exact date of Justice Javed Iqbal’s retirement as NAB chairman. The ordinance had a number of legal lacunas like it had granted open- ended extension to NAB chairman Justice (R) Javed Iqbal. In the amended ordinance NAB’S powers were cut down under which it .could question or arrest any elite, public servant, businessman and any decision-maker. These NAB powers were cut down basically to fulfill the demand of the business community, civil bureaucracy and elite but it basically provided a blanket to all those who were wanted to NAB in corruption cases.
This one amendment in NAB laws has literally reversed accountability process in Pakistan. The amendment has sent a wave of shock to those in the country who believed that prime minister, Imran Khan, was really for broad-based accountability to weed out corruption from the society.
