Punjab Assembly passes resolution against Pakistan’s anti-corruption body

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan. (APP)

LAHORE: In an unprecedented move, the assembly of Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, passed a resolution against the country’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday.
The resolution was presented by Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, who argued that the country’s anti-corruption watchdog’s recent actions constituted “violations of basic human rights.”
“It is both illegal and immoral how the NAB harasses and humiliates senior government officers, advertises their arrests in the media, and tarnishes their reputation without taking them to court,” the resolution stated.
It also demanded an end to the controversial plea-bargain clause in NAB Ordinance that allows the accused to admit their guilt and pay for their release.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, which has a clear majority in the Punjab Assembly, ensured the resolution passed in spite of protests from opposition factions.
Along with a number of other politicians, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan criticized the move.
“Everyone in Pakistan condemns the resolution that has been passed today,” Khan told a group of reporters in Lahore.
The assembly’s decision to move the resolution came just a few days after NAB arrested influential bureaucrat Ahad Cheema on Feb. 21. Cheema is recognized as a close confidant of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who was named as the new party leader of PML-N.
Cheema’s arrest sent shockwaves through the Punjabi elite, and many of the province’s senior officials expressed their opposition to the NAB’s decision.
Wednesday’s resolution asked the federal government to look into the issue and “take the necessary action” to ensure it was discussed in Parliament.