'PM Imran is not scared of accountability', Firdous defends NAB ordinance

SAPM says premier's fight against corruption will continue

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan has defended the government's move to introduce National Accountability Bureau Amendment Ordinance 2019.

"Doing politics on NAB ordinance by same PML-N spokespersons who launch attacks on anti-corruption watchdog on a daily basis is highly regrettable ... PM Imran Khan is clean and not afraid of accountability ... the biggest court [in the country] has declared him truthful and righteous," she said in a tweet on Sunday.

"Even his [PM's] worst political opponents have and always will be unable to prove charges of corruption against him," she added.

ان کے بدترین سیاسی مخالف بھی ان پر کرپشن کا الزام لگانے میں ناکام رہے اور رہینگے۔
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— Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan (@Dr_FirdousAwan) December 29, 2019

PTI govt’s ‘self-serving’ NAB law changes rejected

The ordinance — promulgated by President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday — limits the sweeping powers of NAB to act against any individual accused of financial corruption at will. It offers more protection to public office-holders or government officials while at the same time excludes several financial sectors from the purview of NAB.

The special assistant took to social media to defend the new amendment and insisted that action would be taken against government employees who obtain personal gains through procedural errors or departmental defects.

She said the public office holders using their authority to increase their assets would still be held accountable and under the ordinance, honest public office holders would have permission to carry out their legal responsibilities.

NAB amendment ordinance challenged in SC

The de-facto minister further stated that Prime Minister Imran's fight against corruption will continue, adding that it is NAB's responsibility to take action against mega-corruption scandals.

The government’s move to amend the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999 through a presidential decree didn’t go down well with the opposition parties who have called it an attempt by the ruling party to shield its own corrupt leaders from accountability.

The Rahbar Committee, the decision-making panel of all opposition parties, rejected the newly promulgated ordinance and demanded that the matter be discussed in parliament.

The NAB ordinance was also challenged by a citizen at the Supreme Court on Saturday.

Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi moved a petition at the Supreme Court’s Karachi registry. “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.”