Law minister says Whistleblower Protection Bill will be adopted soon

Dawn.com Published October 26, 2018

Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Dr Muhammad Farogh Naseem addresses press conference at his office. —APP

Federal Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem on Friday said that a draft of the Whistleblower Protection Bill has been prepared which will be tabled before the parliament for approval to validate the establishment of Whistleblower Protection and Vigilance Commission, Radio Pakistan reported.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad this evening, the law minister said the legislation will also include protections for whistleblowers.

Dr Naseem announced that any person who shares information about alleged corrupt practices will be given 20 per cent of the recovered amount as a reward.

Editorial: Whistleblowers bill

The law minister said that a commission will also be set up, comprising people of moral integrity from the public or private sector, which will assess the complaints and refer them to investigation agencies including National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and anti-corruption establishments. "The commission will have wide-ranging powers to check corruption," he added.

Dr Naseem said the draft law is part of government's drive to expose and root out the menace corruption from the society.

Replying to a question, the law minister said the commission will work impartially and on a non-partisan basis.

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Zulfiqar

Oct 26, 2018 09:11pm

Who will monitor this commission?

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Amjad DurraniEngineer USA

Oct 26, 2018 09:46pm

Very commendable & practical step taken by the law minister which will bring radical changes to the investigative & ultimately prosecution process dealing with corruption cases. On one hand it will circumvent colossal time wasted by the investigative agencies following frivolous & untenable complaint finally shelved as being noncognizable due to lack of evidence or due to influence of the accused & on the other will be a deterrent to Omni present defense of accused to be a political victim.The incentive of 20% which is in vogue in all developed countries to root out this evil from society with appreciable result, will work wonders, as the complainant, in order to qualify for the reward, will provide unchallengeable evidence of the offense at the start of the probe, enabling the committee to refer it for further action.Having seen this approach resulting in conviction of the accused here, I have no doubt of its bearing expected outcome, if implemented w/o fear or favor in Pakistan too

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Asad

Oct 26, 2018 11:08pm

One of the best initiatives PTI will take towards addressing the corruption within our society. I hope the commission monitoring this would be given the autonomy and powers they need to ensure implementation..!

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M. Saeed

Oct 26, 2018 11:49pm

Establishment of another commission for creating additional hurdles to surmount before blowing the whistle.

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Pak_UK

Oct 27, 2018 12:47am

20% is a bit too high. It should be max 10%. But nevertheless good move.

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Ahmed

Oct 27, 2018 12:59am

Is it whistle blowers or informants they are seeking?

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Akram Zahid Niazi

Oct 27, 2018 02:32am

Commendable move indeed; this reflects that team PTI is bent on creating the fool proof and result oriented systems in the institutions to make them add value to the society. I strongly hope this law shall come to fruition once implemented. Since the financial support from KSA, PTI has been gaining the momentum in several projects. Reportedly, IG Punjab too is working hard to transform the Punjab police into an effective and independent department. We must appreciate IK and his team who are evidently aimed at beating the menace of corruption. I can see the foundation of naya Pakistan being laid down and wish team IK to succeed in their mission in the best interest of my children.

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Leoman

Oct 27, 2018 09:44am

Good step of course but there must be a check for those who would report without any solid evidence. There must be punishment for those who would be incorrect in some way or the other.

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OptimisticPK

Oct 27, 2018 12:22pm

Another "independent commission" ..

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