Opposition rejects accountability law

CM meets top leaders, explains salient features of Sindh Accountability Bill, 2017

KARACHI: The Sindh government failed to gain the support of opposition parties in the province for their Sindh Accountability Bill, 2017, which will replace the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

After a two-hour long meeting on Friday between opposition members and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, opposition parties declared their unqualified rejection of the bill. Opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan and parliamentary leaders of various political parties such as Syed Sardar Ahmed of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) - Pakistan, Nand Kumar of Pakistan Muslim League - Functional (PML-F) and Shafi Jamote of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) attended the meeting.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf representatives did not attend. The chief minister was accompanied by Transport and Information Minister Syed Nasir Shah, Law Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar and Advocate-General Zamir Ghumro. After the meeting, opposition members told the media that the Pakistan Peoples Party-led provincial government had ‘bad intentions’ to repeal the accountability ordinance and replace it with a new law, so they would not support it.



"They are hoping to protect corrupt leaders and bureaucrats through this law," said Kumar, adding that during the meeting the chief minister briefed the leaders about the law but did not share a copy of the bill.

The move to include opposition parties in the passing of the controversial bill has come late in the game, as the bill will soon be presented in the assembly after being rejected by the provincial governor.

MQM-Pakistan’s Ahmed said his party is not in favour of repealing the federal law pertaining to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). "Today, the chief minister attempted to convince us [to support the bill], but we bluntly refused to support the provincial government's law," he said, adding that the joint opposition parties will further devise a strategy on Monday before the bill is moved in the assembly.

Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that the chief minister requested the opposition members to maintain the decorum of the House by not using derogatory language against political leaders in the assembly. "It is your right to oppose the bill, but please don't create a mess in the session, as was done earlier," CM said.



The spokesperson for CM House said that Murad held a meeting with the opposition leaders and took them into confidence on the proposed law. The chief minister briefed the opposition leaders in the Sindh Assembly about the need of the provincial accountability law. He said that he and his legal team believe that `measures to curb corruption' were a provincial subject right from the date of enforcement of the 18th Amendment. "We are late by a few years but no matter, now we have decided to introduce the draft accountability bill in the assembly on Monday," he said.

The chief minister told the meeting that under the proposed accountability law, the appointment of the chairperson would be made through the provincial assembly while the director-general and prosecutor-general, the two other important positions, would be made in consultation with the chairperson.

Ghumro said that there would be no clause for plea bargains. Lanjar told the leaders that the draft bill was being finalised and he would provide them the copies, if they so desired.



Hassan told the meeting’s participants that the opposition was against the law and would oppose the proposed bill in the assembly. To this, the chief minister replied that it was their democratic right to oppose or support a bill. "I have not bothered you to come here and accept our point of our view. The purpose of convening this meeting was to take you [opposition] into confidence on the proposed bill," he explained.