Accountability bill: Nawaz Sharif rejects PPP’s proposed draft

Threatens next govt will reverse bill if PPP tries passing it without consensus.


Abdul Manan September 08, 2012

LAHORE:


Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif has categorically rejected the new draft accountability bill recently proposed by the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).


Nawaz warned that if the bill was passed by the PPP without evolving a consensus the PML-N would reverse it after coming to power in the next parliamentary elections, sources quoted Nawaz as saying.

Senator Ishaq Dar handed the draft of the bill to Nawaz at Murree on Thursday.

According to sources, after consultation with other senior PML-N leaders, the party chief authorised Dar to carry the aforementioned message to the PPP.

They said PPP’s proposed draft was rejected earlier during PML-N’s September 3 meeting, after Dar briefed participants about it and informed them that the former wanted to meet PML-N leaders before tabling the bill in the National Assembly.

Subsequently, Dar, along with PML-N parliamentarian Khawaja Asif, met a PPP delegation comprising Syed Khurshid Shah, Naveed Qamar and Farooq H Naek on September 6 and informed them that PML-N was unwilling to support the proposed bill.

They did, however, suggest minor amendments to the bill, the sources added.

According to sources, Nawaz termed PPP’s proposal an ‘embarrassment in the name of accountability’ and asked for the introduction of a tougher accountability bill.

He maintained that PML-N would not endorse it until the 58 amendments, which the opposition party submitted to the committee drafting the bill, were incorporated.

The sources added that the PML-N chief had been informed by the party’s members in the aforementioned committee that the committee chairman had accepted their amendments twice, but did not incorporate them in the bill following President Asif Zardari’s directives.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had earlier called PPP’s National Accountability Commission (NAC) Bill 2010 ‘weak’ and vowed that PML-N would never accept it.

The bill was first introduced in the NA under the title ‘The Holder of Public Office Accountability Bill 2009’.

It was forwarded to the NA committee on law and justice in April 2009. While the committee approved it in 2009, PML-N displayed fierce resistance against on a number of occasions.

According to party officials, PML-N had abandoned talks with the PPP over the draft for the past one year.

They said that PML-N relented recently and met a PPP delegation only on the latter’s request, adding, however, that the meeting remained pointless.

Meanwhile, a PML-N spokesperson said that, instead of working retroactively on the draft, PPP should start afresh on the bill.

He added that while the ruling party had earlier accepted their demand to probe accountability cases from 1985, it had now backed out from that position as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2012.

COMMENTS (13)

Iqra | 11 years ago | Reply

They are the rulers of 63% of the country. And look what is happening in their own province. There is no electricity whatsoever, no water, no gas. Patients dying in government hospitals die to lack of treatments and fake medicines. Students are committing suicides for their wrong results. The Patwaris and Thana culture is playing havoc to an extent that Punjab has literally become a ‘police state. Still, they don’t have anything else to do but to do Noora Khushti when in reality they perfectly are supporting the corrupt federal government. Can any one convince me why should or any other person for that matter living in Punjab vote for these thugs, again?

Babar | 11 years ago | Reply

Before the advent of the Imran Khan phenomenon almost a year ago, the PML-N was confident that it was the government-in-waiting. Perhaps, now it feels a little rattled by some high profile defections to the PTI and a string of successful rallies by Imran.The PTI still has a long way to go to evolve an effective party machine. Whereas the Nawaz family has been ruling the roost, especially in Northern Punjab, for the better part of a quarter century. It cannot be so easily dislodged from its stronghold despite its perennial maladroitness in running the Punjab under the leader ship of the self-styled Khadim-e-Aala (first servant). During the previous four and a half year PML-N showed worst results in terms of governance. Punjab is at verge of destruction. Despite poor performance PML-N always tried to shift the blame on centre.For example, it is silly to claim that the Punjab is being discriminated against in supply of electricity. Being the biggest consumer of power in the country, naturally it has as well to suffer more.Punjab has also been the beneficiary of some measures for which the federal government can also claim credit. The long thaw in terrorist incidents in the province has helped in restoring normalcy in the province. The determination of the security agencies, better intelligence sharing from the provinces and a renewed resolve has scorched the terrorist snake albeit not killed it.

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