PPP, PML-N want same law for judges, generals

Partic­ipants stop short of giving firm deadli­ne for implem­entati­on.

ISLAMABAD: Negotiation teams of the government and the opposition agreed on Monday that judges and military generals must be accountable under a unified law.

Interlocutors from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) met in Islamabad in connection with the “ten-point” economic reforms agenda proposed by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif.

“There is consensus that accountability should be across the board and there should not be different laws for judges and generals,” Senator Ishaq Dar, PML-N’s chief negotiator, said in response to a question. Presently, he said, there are four laws for the accountability of politicians, judges and generals and the parties discussed whether to “dovetail the four different laws into one”. Currently, army officials are only tried by military courts and judges’ conduct is subject to review by the Supreme Judicial Council, headed by the chief justice of Pakistan.

“Both parties discussed the proposed accountability laws and the accountability bill’s first rundown was completed in the meeting,” said Law Minister Babar Awan.

However, no firm deadline for the implementation of the proposed accountability framework was given. “The legislation cannot be done in a week’s time,” Dar said.

According to Awan, names for a constitutional committee to appoint Election Commission members have been finalised. The National Assembly (NA) secretary has cleared the names and the speaker will soon issue a notification. “The committee will comprise eight MNAs and four senators,” he said.

He said that the name of former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Sardar Raza Khan has been notified to head the single-member judicial commission to probe the artificial sugar price hike and affix responsibility.

Dar said the judicial commission must complete the inquiry within 45 days. He said in the next meeting, to be held on February 2, the PML-N’s ten-point agenda will be reviewed thoroughly. The option of controlling escalating prices with reference to recommendations made by provincial chief secretaries will also be discussed. Elimination of corruption, austerity measures and restructuring of public sector enterprises are also on the agenda, he added.

Dar said there is significant progress on two of the ten points in the agenda: judicial commission to probe the sugar crisis and free and fair elections. The most contentious issues, however, are still unresolved, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 1^st, 2011.