• Bill introduced as private members’ legislation in Senate, then NA thru supplementary agenda
• President gives assent, notification issued
• Opposition decries amendment that allows three-year extension, links corruption threshold to inflation index
• High court decisions in graft cases may now be challenged through second appeal before FCC within 30 days

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari gave his assent on Thursday to the NAB (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which allows for an extension in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairperson’s term by another three years.

The president’s approval came hours after the bill was rushed through both houses of parliament amid the opposition’s outcry and a day before the term of incumbent NAB Chairman retired Lt General Nazir Ahmed was set to expire.

An official source told Dawn that a notification extending the term of retired Lt General Ahmed for another three years had also been issued, and he would now hold the office till March 2029.

Earlier in the day, a private member’s bill, moved in the Senate by Muhammad Abdul Qadir — an independent lawmaker from Balochistan — was brought before the House through a supplementary agenda on a non-private members’ day to make the amendments to the NAB law.

Before the fresh legislation, the chairman of the anti-graft body served a non-extendable term of three years with no eligibility for reappointment.

The amendment to Section 6 of the NAB Ordinance allows the chairman to serve a three-year term which may be extended once for a further period of three years by the federal government. The NAB law tweaks also include a provision that ostensibly links corruption with inflation.

Under the law amended in 2022, NAB was restricted to taking cognisance of cases involving corruption exceeding Rs500 million.

The threshold will now be revised annually in line with the inflation index.

Under an amendment to clause O of Section 5, the monetary threshold will be adjusted annually in accordance with the inflation index published by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

“This measure ensures that the financial limits prescribed under the law remain realistic and relevant over time and are not diminished due to inflation,” the statement of objects and reasons said.

The threshold was raised to Rs500m in 2022 following amendments made by the PML-N-led coalition government after the PTI government’s removal.

‘Objects and reasons’

According to the statement of objects and reasons of the private member’s bill moved by Senator Abdul Qadir, the amendment would provide administrative continuity and flexibility in leadership.

The statement of objects and reasons of the bill said the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2026 sought to amend certain provisions of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, with the objective of improving procedural clarity, strengthening accountability mechanisms, and introducing additional safeguards in the appellate and administrative framework of NAB.

The bill also amends Section 4 of the ordinance concerning the jurisdiction and functions of accountability courts.

The amendment inserts the word “appeals” after the word “trials” in subsection (6), clause (a).

This change clarifies that the relevant procedural provisions apply not only to trials but also to appellate proceedings, thereby ensuring broader procedural application and reducing ambiguity in the interpretation of the law.

The bill amends Section 9 by substituting subsection (b) to clearly empower both accountability courts and the relevant high courts to grant bail or order the release of the accused under Sections 439, 496, 497 and 498 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The bill inserts a new Section 32A providing for a second appeal to the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) against decisions of a high court within 30 days, thereby strengthening judicial oversight and the right of review in accountability matters.

Lawmakers from the opposition lodged a strong protest against the private member’s bill brought before the House under a supplementary agenda on a non-private members’ day.

PTI parliamentary leader in the House Barrister Syed Ali Zafar said the controversial bill had come from “somewhere else”.

He said shifting criminal cases to constitutional courts would be tantamount to compromising the dignity of the judiciary. He said changing the forum of NAB cases from the high courts was a blot on parliament’s reputation.

He noted that NAB amendments were being made only to politically target the founder of PTI.

Barrister Ali Zafar said cases were being transferred to constitutional courts because the Supreme Court was not under control.

He also said the decision to extend the tenure of the NAB chairman by three years was against public interest.

NA proceedings

In the National Assembly as well, the bill was brought through a supplementary agenda. The bill was moved for immediate consideration and passage by PML-N’s Mah Jabeen Abbasi.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, while opposing the bill, strongly criticised the “one-sided extension” in the term of the anti-graft watchdog’s chief and the increase in the threshold of Rs500m.

He noted that this would allow influential people to get cases against them dismissed. Barrister Gohar demanded that the government withdraw the bill.

JUI-F’s Aaliya Kamran said the clause related to the appointment of the NAB chairman was against the Charter of Democracy.

She wondered how the ideologies of people who once talked about the abolition of NAB had changed.

She regretted the move to bypass the Supreme Court and transfer the right to hear appeals in corruption cases to the FCC.

MQM’s Izharul Hasan was of the view that lawmakers should get the chance to go through such important pieces of legislation before they were voted on.

Retired Lt Gen Nazir Ahmed became the NAB chairman on March 4, 2023, for three years after his predecessor Aftab Sultan resigned, citing “interference” and “pressure” as the reasons for his departure.

The opposition PTI had claimed that Mr Sultan was being coerced into filing corruption references against its chief Imran Khan.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2026