The opposition on Wednesday raised questions on the amendments proposed by the government to the country’s accountability laws.
“The government through the amendment has exempted businessmen, bureaucrats, judges and the military from being proceeded against under the law. Who is then left? Only you and I are left,” PPP lawmaker and former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani sais while addressing the Senate session. “Is the NAB law only there for politicians?” he asked, suggesting that the parliament should be allowed to ‘try the parliamentarians’. “Otherwise, if the government really wants to conduct accountability, then the only path to meaningful accountability is one law, one bureau and across-the-board accountability,” he said. “There should be no holy cows under a fair accountability law which should apply to the judiciary and military as well as the bureaucracy,” he said, adding that the government is not following the constitution and its actions have rendered the parliament ineffective.
Speaking about the issue of extension in the service of Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Rabbani said the PTI government due to its ‘incapability and incapacity’ has landed a national institution (army) into an ’embarrassing position’. “What kind of a government is this which cannot issue three or four notifications?” he said, urging the government to let the parliament and the Senate play their constitutional roles.
At the outset of the session, Leader of Opposition in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq regretted that the government has called the Senate session only after the opposition submitted a requisition. He said the Upper House has been ‘kept in the dark’ regarding the promulgation of the NAB ordinance. He alleged that the accountability process is being carried out in a ‘unilateral, oppressive and illegal manner’ in the country.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said they found out through newspapers that a Senate session has been called for Wednesday. She said some members were unable to attend because of the prevailing fog. She said ministers are not present in the House even though the session has been called after such a long gap. “In addition, questions and answers were not made part of the agenda which means that the government was not prepared,” she alleged.
While addressing the Upper House, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri expressed concerns over the statement issued by the military’s media wing on the verdict announced in the high treason case against former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf. He said the debate on the verdict against Musharraf should have taken place in the parliament, and added that the statement given by the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations regarding the judgement had sparked ‘an exchange of statements’.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry in his speech said the country’s constitution maintains the balance between the four institutions of government and the opposition and the military and the judiciary. However, he said, the four institutions appear to be at odds with each other as the country enters a new year. “I think these four institutions are neither culpable in all matters nor blameless in all matters,” he said, adding that all four of the branches are susceptible to making mistakes.
Chaudhry said the country’s priority should be finding ways to provide a better future to its very young population. He said it is natural for the government and opposition to have differences on fundamental issues, “but the country cannot function if we cannot appoint members and chairman of the Election Commission [of Pakistan] and develop consensus on what the accountability process should be.” Addressing the treasury and opposition benches, Chaudhry said, “On this first day of the new year, I want to request that we devise a minimum common agenda which can include the ECP, the accountability system and other big issues.”
PTI Senator Faisal Javed said the government has achieved numerous successes in 2019 and stabilised the economy. He accused the opposition of coming to the parliament only to ‘get their companions freed from jail, have production orders issued and conceal their leaders’ corruption’. “There should be accountability without discrimination in the country,” he said.
The Senate session was subsequently adjourned to meet again on Thursday at 3pm.
