Govt, opposition mull NAB laws tweak

Law minister says changes to accountability law can only be made after government consults its allies

ISLAMABAD: The first round of talks between opposition parties pertaining to amendments in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law took place on Tuesday.

Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Dr Farogh Naseem presided over the meeting in his chamber which was attended by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Naveed Qamar and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Sanaullah and Zahid Hamid.



The law minister said amendments to the accountability law can only be made after the incumbent government consults its allies. "We will sit with the opposition again after consulting relevant stakeholders."

Naseem also said the opposition parties did not mention the proposed bill drafted during the PML-N era. However, he remained mum when asked about the new bill's contents.

During the meeting, Sanaullah apprised the participants over his reservations pertaining to the NAB law granting 90-day remand of suspects to the anti-graft watchdog. "Laws without justification will be analysed for instance the 90-day remand."

However, he deemed the meeting as positive adding that the government is interested in making NAB laws transparent.