Awan defends govt's move to make changes in accountability law
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Sunday defended the government's decision to make changes in the country's accountability law through a presidential ordinance.
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had made drastic changes in the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 through a presidential ordinance promulgated. Under the ordinance, the powers of the NAB were curtailed keeping in view frequent complaints of the bureaucracy and the business community.
However, in view of growing criticism against what many critics described as a "mother of all NROs" to businessmen, bureaucrats and politicians, majority of the amendments circulated to the cabinet by the law ministry were taken back.
Two major opposition parties - the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party - had rejected the ordinance, alleging that the government is making efforts to protect a few of its cronies and "dry-clean" the PTI. Taking to Twitter, the PM's aide lashed out at opposition parties for making the issue about politics. "Imran Khan is not afraid of accountability. Even his political opponents have and always will be unable to prove charges of corruption against him," she said.
She added that the prime minister's fight against corruption was still ongoing. "NAB is meant to investigate mega corruption scandals. Now, the bureau will be able to better focus on executing this role. "Inquiries will be initiated against those government employees who have benefitted from procedural discrepancies or departmental errors. Public office holders who misused their powers [for their personal benefit] by having an unprecedented increase in their assets are not exempt."
She added that honest, hardworking government employees have nothing to fear. "Under the ordinance, honest public office holders will be able to make decisions in the greater public interest without any fear. This will make governance more active, the economy more stable and will give way to a more conducive environment for business."
Meanwhile, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday called on the government to put an end to its "clearly biased efforts" and invited it to "work with opposition". "Latest NAB ordinance is proof even government agrees with President Zardari. NAB and our economy can't run together," he said in a post on Twitter.
He urged the government to "do its job and legislate". "Strengthen anticorruption laws and end this farce," said the PPP chairman. The law ministry officially released the text of the controversial ordinance with the subject "Revised Updated NAB Ordinance", which does not contain a number of clauses which were widely reported by the media.