Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak on Sunday assured that his government will make amendments in the laws pertaining National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the light of Supreme Court directives.
The apex court in November 2018 had suggested the legislators to consider amendment in the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999 to enable an accused person apply for bail to the court. Remarking on the appeal against a Balochistan High Court judgment in which post-arrest bail was declined in an embezzlement case, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa stated, “In the changed scenario, the legislature may, if so advised, consider amending the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 appropriately so as to enable an accused person to apply for his bail before the relevant accountability court in the first instance.”
Asif Khosa also recommended revising the ‘unrealistic timeframe’ of the NAB which is 30 days.
Meanwhile, addressing workers convention in Nowshera, Pervez Khattak stated that his government was leaving no stone unturned to maximize incentives for investors and thereby lead the country towards rapid industrialization.”The recent visits of the Prime Minister Imran Khan to Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and China have given fruitful results,” he said.
Published in Daily Times, January 7th 2019
