The Senate of Pakistan has extended the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 for an additional 120 days, in a move that has sparked controversy. The extension was proposed by Law Minister Ahmad Irfan Aslam and will come into effect on October 31, 2023. Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, who had previously promulgated the ordinance as Acting President, presided over the session and skillfully avoided criticism before the resolution for the extension was adopted.
The amendments made through the ordinance include an extension of physical remand for arrested individuals from 14 to 30 days. It also grants the NAB chairman the authority to issue arrest warrants for non-cooperation during investigations and allows the anti-graft watchdog to arrest individuals during inquiries. However, there are objections to the extension by members of the Senate. PTI parliamentary leader Senator Syed Ali Zafar questioned how the house could pass a resolution to extend the ordinance when the Supreme Court has already declared the NAB law amendments unconstitutional.
Senator Zafar suggested that the proposed law should be sent to a committee for further examination. Former Law Minister PML-N Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar emphasized that the Supreme Court has accepted the authority of parliament to legislate and will continue to do so. He also claimed that the SC bench only struck down 30% of the NAB Amendment law and mentioned the need to reorganize the NAB through the present ordinance.
Other Senators voiced concerns about the transparency, efficiency, and overall effectiveness of NAB’s investigations and prosecutions. There were also calls for President Arif Alvi to resign for not providing a date for an election and for disbanding the NAB altogether. Some Senators criticized the NAB ordinance as a draconian law introduced by a military dictator and expressed regret that no democratic government had overturned it. The senators also highlighted the role played by NAB in the country’s politics.