Debating jurisdiction: Senate panel takes up accountability bill

Committee decides to invite provincial secretaries to get their input.


Maryam Usman November 19, 2015
Committee decides to invite provincial secretaries to get their input. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights on Wednesday discussed the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2015.

On November 2, the bill was introduced in the upper house of parliament by PPP Senator Taj Haider.

Chaired by Senator Javed Abbasi, the meeting was also attended by senators Farooq Naek, Taj Haider, Kalsoom Parveen, Ayesha Farooq, Saifullah Magsi and Zahida Khan among others.

Members of the committee deliberated upon the matters of criminal and civil law, contradiction in federal and provincial law as well as jurisdiction of parliament to amend the National Accountability Ordinance 1999.



Senator Abbasi mentioned some reservations in the existing Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission and its political use. “While everyone supports putting an end to corruption, much has not been done in the province,” he said.

“We are against political use of anti-corruption laws and we want to do serious business,” Senator Haider said, adding, the federal government and federal departments should be looked after by NAB and cases of corruption within the provinces should be looked after by the relevant provincial commission.

Furthermore, Ayesha Farooq said: “No law should be used for political motivation, not just accountability laws but any law.”

Senator Naek said that before making any amendment for the purpose of giving powers to the provincial government for framing of the law, it is important to ascertain whether the ordinance is a criminal law or not.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19th, 2015.

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