NAB amendment ordinance challenged in SC

Amendment ordinance is a violation of the Constitution, says Naqvi

KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Amendment Ordinance 2019 was challenged by a citizen at the Supreme Court on Saturday.

Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi moved a petition at the Supreme Court's Karachi registry, challenging the amended law that had been signed by President Arif Alvi on Friday. The petition names the Government of Pakistan, the secretaries of the law and justice ministry and interior ministry, NAB chairperson, NAB headquarters director-general and others as parties in the case.

"All citizens are equal in the Constitution of Pakistan," stated Naqvi. "The amended ordinance is a violation of the Constitution and the fundamental rights of citizens."

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Claiming that the federal cabinet's approval of the amended ordinance was unprincipled and doubtful, the petitioner said it had pushed NAB under the subordination of the scrutiny committee, which would affect the utility and importance of the bureau.

"It is being feared that the ordinance will affect the possibility of equal accountability for all," said the petition, stating that it had been done to protect "favoured" persons from accountability cases.

With additional reporting  from PPI

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2019.