• About Us
  • The TFT Story
  • Team
  • Write for TFT
  • Online advertisement tariff
  • Donate To Us
The Friday Times - Naya Daur
Saturday, February 4, 2023
  • Home
  • Editorials
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Features
  • Spotlight
  • Videos
  • Citizens’ Voice
  • Lifestyle
  • Editor’s Picks
  • Good Times
  • More
    • About Us
    • Team
    • Write for TFT
    • The TFT Story
    • Donate To Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Editorials
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Features
  • Spotlight
  • Videos
  • Citizens’ Voice
  • Lifestyle
  • Editor’s Picks
  • Good Times
  • More
    • About Us
    • Team
    • Write for TFT
    • The TFT Story
    • Donate To Us
No Result
View All Result
The Friday Times - Naya Daur
No Result
View All Result
Home Analysis

National Accountability Ordinance 2021 – A Mega NRO

This law should have been introduced through a bill in the Senate or the National Assembly of Pakistan

Mohammad Ishaq Dar by Mohammad Ishaq Dar
October 8, 2021
in Analysis
261
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

On October 6, Imran Khan’s government promulgated from the president of Pakistan the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Ordinance 2021.

This ordinance has exempted from accountability the decisions of the federal and provincial cabinets, their committees or sub-Committees, the Council of Common Interests (CCI), the National Economic Council (NEC), the National Finance Commission (NFC), the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), Central Development Working Party (CDWP), Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) and Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) and the boards of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

A number of cases pertaining to sugar, flour, medicines, LNG imports and petroleum products, involving billions of rupees of alleged scams, which fall in the scope of existing NAB law for inquiry, investigation and trial, will escape now from due process.

Another key objective to promulgate this Ordinance is to make the incumbent NAB chairman to continue in office who otherwise was to retire on October 8, 2021.

The post is not renewable or extendable in order to ensure impartiality of the chairman for taking bona fide, impartial and just decisions without worrying about another tenure or extension in service. Surely, this is mala fide, devoid of merit and person specific which is against the settled law.

A number of cases pertaining to sugar, flour, medicines, LNG imports and petroleum products, involving billions of rupees of alleged scams, which fall in the scope of existing NAB law for inquiry, investigation and trial, will escape now from due process

Continuation of the incumbent till appointment of the new chairman is designed to pressurize the leader of the opposition to agree to the choice of the government expeditiously.

Other unreasonable amendments include the appointment of retired judges, which is an assault on the independence of judiciary. It appears that “judges of choice” would be appointed with lucrative packages in order to get desirable results. Impartiality of retired judges would always be questionable. The provision that the surety amount for bail should not be less than the amount for which the accused is charged is manifestly excessive and amounts to nullifying the right to bail. The disqualification of voluntary return, penal in nature, cannot be retrospective as it would be in violation of the Article 12 of the Constitution. Provisions regarding the amendments in the law of evidence have to be examined carefully to ensure that the right to fair trial of the accused, as guaranteed in the Article 10A of the Constitution, is not compromised.

Such an important law, which would materially change the scope of the accountability, should have been introduced as a bill in the National Assembly or the Senate of Pakistan, both of which were in session just a few days back. It appears that the ordinance was preplanned and was deliberately delayed till the Houses were prorogued in order to enable its promulgation. This is nothing but a clear mala fide of the government and tantamount to undermining the authority of the parliament.

Also Read:

The Genesis Of Terrorism In Pakistan

Pakistan’s Counterterrorism Policy Is Simply Not Working. It Needs A Major Rethink

Tags: Imran KhanaccountabilityNAB ordinanceNROsugar casesNAb chairman
Previous Post

کیا ہتھیار وں کو الوداع کہنے کا وقت آگیا؟

Next Post

Bar Politics: Why Are Elevations Of Supreme Court Judges Frequently Contested?

Mohammad Ishaq Dar

Mohammad Ishaq Dar

The author, a UK fellow chartered accountant, is a former finance minister of Pakistan and former leader of opposition in the Senate of Pakistan

Next Post

Bar Politics: Why Are Elevations Of Supreme Court Judges Frequently Contested?

Recent News

‘Unflinching Resolve’: Apex Committee Vows To Protect People At All Costs

‘Unflinching Resolve’: Apex Committee Vows To Protect People At All Costs

February 3, 2023
Sheikh Rasheed Reveals He Has Childern? | Javed Ch After Imran’s Life | Imran Khan In Sachet Pack

Sheikh Rasheed Reveals He Has Childern? | Javed Ch After Imran’s Life | Imran Khan In Sachet Pack

February 3, 2023
Imran Won’t Contest On 33 Seats | FIR On Sheikh Rasheed | PTI Not In APC | IMF Condition?

Imran Won’t Contest On 33 Seats | FIR On Sheikh Rasheed | PTI Not In APC | IMF Condition?

February 3, 2023

Twitter

Newsletter



Donate To Us

The Friday Times – Naya Daur

THE TRUTH WILL OUT


The Friday Times is Pakistan’s first independent weekly, founded in 1989. In 2021, the publication went into collaboration with digital news platform Naya Daur Media to publish under a daily cycle.


Social Media

Latest News

  • All
  • News
  • Editorials
  • Features
  • Analysis
  • Lifestyle
‘Unflinching Resolve’: Apex Committee Vows To Protect People At All Costs

‘Unflinching Resolve’: Apex Committee Vows To Protect People At All Costs

by News Desk
February 3, 2023
0

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that...

Sheikh Rasheed Reveals He Has Childern? | Javed Ch After Imran’s Life | Imran Khan In Sachet Pack

Sheikh Rasheed Reveals He Has Childern? | Javed Ch After Imran’s Life | Imran Khan In Sachet Pack

by Mian Hamza Arif
February 3, 2023
0

Sheikh Rasheed Reveals He Has Childern? | Javed...

Social Feed

  • About Us
  • The TFT Story
  • Team
  • Write for TFT
  • Online advertisement tariff
  • Donate To Us

© 2022 All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Editorials
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Features
  • Spotlight
  • Videos
  • Citizens’ Voice
  • Lifestyle
  • Editor’s Picks
  • Good Times
  • More
    • About Us
    • Team
    • Write for TFT
    • The TFT Story
    • Donate To Us

© 2022 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist