Former Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah | Media Talk

LAHORE: Former Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah said on Thursday that the reason behind the government's move to introduce the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Amendment Ordinance 2019 was to "protect people in the Malam Jabba and Peshawar BRT cases."

Speaking to the media, Sanaullah said the country cannot be run by filling the jails with opposition politicians.

The senior PML-N leader spent an extended stint behind bars after the Anti-Narcotics Force nabbed him while he was allegedly in possession of 15kg of heroin.

Arrested on July 1, Sanaullah was released last week on bail by the Lahore High Court (LHC) after the bench questioned the prosecution's evidence and remarked that Sanaullah may have fallen victim to a political vendetta.

"The NAB Amendment Ordinance should have been introduced as a bill," Sanaullah said, referring to changes made to the anti-corruption bureau's jurisdiction by the government, which are now being seen by the opposition as a move to protect the influential.

The PML-N stalwart said NAB had questioned him about his income and assets. Sanaullah said he was given a 'detailed' pro forma which sought information on how he had acquired his current assets.

He also spoke about the amendment in the Army Act, saying that his party had decided to support it "in the larger interest".

He said all leaders of the PML-N stood behind the party's decision to support the amendment, which seeks to make future extensions for army chiefs airtight and beyond the purview of the courts.

Government clips NAB's wings
The NAB Amendment Ordinance has been criticised by the opposition parties as a move to clip the anti-graft body's powers. After the amendments, NAB will no longer be able to take action against government employees.

Moreover, the proposed ordinance also states that the property of government employees cannot be frozen without a court order. Furthermore, if the accountability watchdog cannot complete an investigation against a suspect within three months, the accused will be entitled to bail.

In addition, NAB will now only be able to proceed in corruption cases of Rs500 million and more.

Moreover, according to the amendment ordinance, NAB's jurisdiction over matters relating to tax, stock exchange and IPOs has been curtailed. The Federal Board of Revenue, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and building control authorities will be the sole authorities tasked to act on all such matters.

In addition, for land evaluation purposes, NAB will seek guidance from the Federal Board of Revenue or the District Collector.