ISLAMABAD: A joint sitting of Parliament on Monday successfully passed the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2023 – aimed to enhance the authority of the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) – despite President Arif Alvi’s refusal to give his assent.
Both the National Assembly and the Senate had previously approved the bill in April. However, President Alvi returned the bill to Parliament that same month, urging lawmakers to reconsider the proposed amendments.
Under Article 75(1)(b) of the Constitution, the president sent the bill back, citing the pending accountability law amendments before the Supreme Court.
The president emphasized that this aspect had not been adequately addressed in the bill, nor in the advice provided by the prime minister.
Despite the president’s reservations, if he does not approve the bill within 10 days, the Constitution dictates that it will be deemed that the president has given his assent.
During the motion for seeking approval of the bill, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar argued that laws established during a previous dictator’s rule were now being exploited for political purposes.
The minister highlighted that despite the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) accusations of an “NRO-II”, time will reveal that it was, in fact, an “NRO-II” for the PTI itself.
Tarar further alleged that the NAB, under former chairman Javed Iqbal, had been used for political manipulation.
Addressing the Supreme Court’s involvement in the NAB bill, Tarar stressed that no institution had the authority to interfere in parliamentary affairs.
He emphasized that thus far, the government had refrained from meddling in the jurisdiction of other institutions and expected the same courtesy from the judiciary.
Following the minister’s motion, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed from Jamaat-e-Islami proposed certain amendments to the law. However, the house rejected those suggestions.
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