In a bid to evolve consensus on the draft accountability law between the PPP and the PML-N, parliamentarians have decided to review how they could benefit from the Indian accountability law which has also triggered a controversy in the neighbouring country.
Despite the passage of two years, the major government and opposition parties have failed to reach a consensus on the new draft accountability law despite the fact that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been made dysfunctional and no other tool of accountability is available.
In an exclusive interview with Pakistan Today, National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice Chairwoman Nasim Chaudhry said since both major political parties had failed to reach a consensus on the accountability law, the committee had decided to review how much it could benefit from Indian law.
“Though there is a controversy on the Indian accountability law, we want to see their document to compare it with Pakistan and see how both the major political parties could bridge their differences over the new law. All members will be given copies of the Indian accountability law and their feedback will be sought,” she said.
Asked when the committee would likely hold its next sitting, Nasim said the next meeting would be held soon after Eidul Fitr and the meeting would review the Indian law.
Asked whether it was her own decision or she was suggested by the members, she said it was her own idea as the government wanted a consensus law.
“Though most of the coalition members wanted the committee to go ahead with the majority’s view, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has advised the party to evolve consensus. I had also told the prime minister that the PML-N members never attended committee’s proceedings, but the premier said they should be given another chance,” she added.
The main opposition party, the PML-N, claims that the government has always betrayed the law and justice standing committee members on various clauses of the draft law, to deliberately delay it and avoid accountability while the PPP says the negative approach adopted by the PML-N members was causing the delay.
Nasim said the PML-N leadership had delayed the law as PML-N President Nawaz Sharif had included the issue in his 10-point agenda due to which the committee did not take up the PML-N proposals.
“Despite having majority in the committee, my party did not bulldoze this law and wanted a consensus over it. The PML-N wants a serving judge to head the new accountability commission while there is no such provision that a serving judge could head such a commission under the national judicial policy introduced by chief justice of Pakistan. When we raised this point, the ‘N’ leaguers said it was also in the Charter of Democracy (CoD). When we followed the CoD, there was no such provision either,” she said.
Nasim said the PML-N also wanted a provision in the law under which any individual could be brought to Pakistan under the international cooperation without sharing any evidence.
“They want a law like General Pervez Musharraf introduced under which red warrants could be issued against any individual without any proof submitted which is against all international protocols. We want a provision that some evidence must be shared prior to issuance of the red warrants,” she said.
