Want to root out corruption through better legislation: FM Qureshi

Says the government does not want to tarnish anyone’s honour, but bring looters to justice

ISLAMABAD:

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Monday that the federal government wanted to eradicate corruption from the roots through better legislation.

He said that governments keep changing, but legislation is a constant process.

“We have one position on some laws, while the Opposition has another,” he said. “A 24-member parliamentary committee has been formed to bridge the gap between us and the Opposition.”

The foreign minister said that one meeting of the parliamentary committee has been held and another will be convened soon.

“We have sent the drafts related to the FATF, national security and NAB to our friends in the Opposition,” he said. “I hope that we will look at these drafts together and discuss it,” the foreign minister observed.

Qureshi added that we [the government] also do not want to tarnish anyone’s honour in the name of corruption, or harass anyone. "However, those who have looted this country must be brought to justice," the FM said.

“Thus, our aim is to have a law that meets both these benchmarks,” he added.

The foreign minister's statement comes in the wake of much debate over the role the country's top anti-graft watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), has so far played. The Opposition has many a times criticised the corruption watchdog as well as its chairman, whereas the government has found its role to be satisfactory.   

Last week, the Supreme Court, while raising questions on the conduct of NAB, ruled in its 83-page judgment that accountability laws had been successfully used to change political loyalties. The landmark observation came as the court decided to grant bail to PML-N stalwart Saad Rafique.

However, it was reported on July 25 that the government has proposed doing away with a clause in the law governing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that would allow it to extend the tenure of the anti-graft body’s chairman.

The National Accountability Ordinance amendment bill also seeks sparing public office holders from NAB action for any step taken in “good faith”.

The draft law on NAB and eight bills aimed at removing the country from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list have been shared with the opposition.

A 24-member committee, headed by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and comprising members from the ruling PTI and its allies and opposition parties including PML-N, PPP and JUI-F will be meeting today to reach an understanding on the proposed laws.