LAHORE: PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif says Prime Minister Imran Khan has given himself and his government an NRO through the amendment to the NAB Ordinance.

“IK has given himself & his government an NRO through the 3rd amendment in NAB Ordinance. If there was any doubt about how NAB-Niazi nexus has operated to victimize opposition parties, this amendment is a clear manifestation of a wicked mindset,” he said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Shehbaz further said the new amendment to the NAB Ordinance was a “sheer political vendetta.”

Former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also said the only purpose of the NAB ordinance was to target the PML-N.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said in a tweet: “This is the 3rd time in a month that the NAB Ordinance has been amended directly by the Ordinance factory, completely bypassing parliament.”

Further castigating Imran Khan’s government, Ms Rehman said: “Making selective laws to protect their (PTI) cronies while accountability is reserved for political rivals in opposition. Aik nahi doe Pakistan (not one but two Pakistan).”

PPP’s senior leader Farhatullah Babar said: “Incumbent Chairman NAB should’ve been removed long ago. But Ordinance now to empower the President to remove Chairman smacks of malafide...”

On Monday the federal government stripped the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) of the powers to remove the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman and authorised the president to do so through amendment to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) for a third time in less than a month.

The National Accountability (Third Amendment) Ordinance 2021 promulgated on Oct 31 has come into force at once and the am­e­ndments have been deemed to take effect from Oct 6 when the second amendment was promulgated.

“The reason to bring amendments to the ordinance was to provide clarity as after the second amendment a number of provisions were being misinterpreted by different quarters,” Law Minister Barrister Dr Farogh Naseem had told Dawn.

The amendments were brought to the ordinance after seeking approval from Prime Minister Imran Khan during a meeting held on Oct 27.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2021