Sindh Assembly session: Bill seeking to curtail NAB’s powers to be presented today

The bill seeks to curtail NAB’s powers and give it the mandate to probe and hear cases related to federal institutions after a formal endorsement from the Sindh Assembly.

To discuss the matter, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders informally met party leader Asif Ali Zardari at Zardari House in Nawabshah on Sunday.

The participants included Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, law minister and the Sindh advocate general.

During the meeting, Zardari was advised on the legal aspects of repealing the NAB ordinance. Shah said that all PPP members of the assembly have been instructed to attend the session today (Monday).

Interestingly, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has already curtailed the powers of NAB in the province and established its own Ehtesab Commission. 

However, the move to make a similar institution in Sindh has led the opposition to question its maintainability.

The opposition members also pointed out that most of the ministers and officials affiliated with the party are currently being investigated by NAB. Moreover, they expressed fear that NAB’s role will be taken up by Anti-Corruption Establishment, which is controlled by the Sindh government.

On Friday, the Sindh cabinet gave its approval to repeal the NAB ordinance.

The approval was given in a high-level meeting chaired by the chief minister at the CM House, after a briefing on the subject by Sindh Advocate General Zamir Ghumro.

According to the advocate general, corruption cases related to provincial institutions will now be probed by the Provincial Ehtesab Bureau.

A committee has been constituted by the cabinet to give recommendations for changes in the anti-corruption laws within a month. 

Article source: http://www.suchtv.pk/pakistan/sindh/item/56172-bill-seeking-to-curtail-nab-s-powers-to-be-presented-today.html