Accusations aplenty : Marvi accuses ministry of plagiarizing draft bill

Law ministry refutes claims, terming MNA’s conduct inappropriate.

ISLAMABAD: As a ruling PML-N lawmaker accused the law ministry of stealing her draft, a parliamentary panel deferred the formation of National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC).

The federal law ministry rejected claims of the ruling PML-N MNA Marvi Memon, who is also chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Program. Memon contends that she had actually authored bills that suggest formation of NCRC and amendment in certain areas of the criminal justice system.

Memon announced that being a treasury member she will write to the Prime Minister and the law minister Pervez Rasheed. She said she would highlight that the law ministry has plagiarized her work and presented her private member bills as the government’s bill.

“This is cheating, stealing and a classic case of plagiarism as law ministry did not acknowledge my work,” Memon protested in the NA session. “This is a matter of lead. The law ministry wanted to take lead of this legislation,” she said.

Secretary Law Justice (retd) Raza Khan termed the conduct of MNA Memon as inappropriate, while law ministry’s Director Human Rights Hassan Mangi challenged the claim. “I challenge you and will prove with official minutes of the cabinet meetings that I was the author of these bills in process since 2008.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2015.