KARACHI: Sindh Law Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar expressed the hope on Friday that the provincial government might again table the ‘anti-National Accountability Bureau’ (NAB) bill in the provincial legislature next week, as it had been returned by the governor with objections.

“Hopefully the law would be tabled and passed again by the Sindh Assembly in its next session, which is expected to be called next week,” said the minister while speaking to reporters after presiding over a meeting of the provincial assembly’s standing committee on law vis-a-vis revising the tenures of posting for civil servants at the Sindh Assembly building.

However, he said, the PPP’s parliamentary party would be the final authority to decide when to convene the next session.

“The governor should have [given] assent to it,” said Mr Lanjar.

He said the Sindh Assembly was not making laws for or against any institution as the assembly was a legislative forum, which could form or amend laws.

He said during the meeting that a four-member committee had been formed for drafting new proposals for amendment to the bill. The committee would be headed by the advocate general of Sindh.

He said the government’s amending the tenures of posting of its employees was not meant to target or give benefit to any individual; but it was aimed at improving the service structure of all government employees.

He criticised the graft watchdog, saying it was not the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) job to conduct raids on offices of local government to collect power utility bills and this body [NAB] could not be handed over all power by closing all other organisations and courts in the province.

“We cannot lock all other organisations and courts for the NAB to work all alone.

“Acting in such a manner does not fall in the powers given to NAB.”

Regarding the fluid political situation in the country, the provincial law minister said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government was crumbling due to its own deeds.

“The PPP has always defended democracy.”

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2017