SC gives government three months’ time to bring new NAB law

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday gave the government three months’ time to bring new National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law. In suo moto hearing on plea bargain clause of the accountability law, a bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed hoped that a proper law governing the NAB, will be passed from the parliament. During the hearing, the CJP remarked that the government has clipped feathers of the NAB with the new accountability ordinance. He also said that the SC has already restrained the NAB from plea bargain adding that this clause of the law will not be exercised until the new legislation by the parliament. Justice Gulzar further warned that those who will return the corruption money (under the plea bargain) would have to face consequences. “If the Supreme Court declared clauses of the NAB law as unlawful, it will become dysfunctional, whether the government wants the court to set aside the NAB law,” the CJP asked. “If the matter won’t resolved in three months the court will decide according to the law and the merit,” the bench said. The top court granted three months to the government for legislation in the parliament on NAB law. Earlier, the Ministry of Law has issued a notification on Saturday after the approval of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Amendment Ordinance 2019. The NAB Amendment Ordinance 2019 has been challenged at Karachi Registry of the Supreme Court. A citizen Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi has filed a petition at Karachi Registry of the SC challenging the NAB Amendment Ordinance, 2019, promulgated by the PTI-led government through a presidential ordinance on Friday. The petitioner has made the federal government, the Ministry of Law secretary, the Cabinet Division secretaries, Ministry of Interior, Establishment Division, the NAB chairman, the NAB Director General Headquarters and others as party in the case. The petitioner said, “All citizens are equal in the constitution of Pakistan, the amended ordinance is violation of the constitution and the fundamental rights of citizens.” The application pleaded with the apex court to immediately order suspending the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019, while claiming that the amendment was against Article 25 of the Constitution, and an attempt to protect the corruption of ministers and government officials.