Notification revoking NAO 1999 bill issued in Sindh

KARACHI: The Sindh government on Thursday officially revoked the jurisdiction of National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999 across the province.

Replacing NAO 1999 with Sindh NAO Repeal bill 2017, the law ministry on Thursday has directed authorities to print the new bill.

Coming into effect, the provincial NAO 1999 repeal bill curtails the NAB’s jurisdiction in anti-corruption cases to the federal government’s institutions only.

Earlier, the Sindh government had asserted that it’s the responsibility of the provincial government to take action against corruption and any action undertaken by the federation with regard to anti-corruption would be deemed unconstitutional.

The bill states that eradicating corruption in the province is the sole responsibility of the provincial government rather than the federal government by curtailing the NAB’s powers.

Last month, the NAO 1999 Repeal bill was passed in the Sindh Assembly amid protest by opposition parties on July 3 but Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair refused to ratify the anti-NAB bill on July 14.

The bill was sent back to the Sindh Assembly for reconsideration.

Later on July 29, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that no other province was facing similar unkind attitude of NAB towards legislators.

In a statement the CM Sindh had said that the opposition leaders in the provincial assembly have developed a prejudice against the bill. “Is there any other province facing mammoth number of corruption cases against 12 ministers other than Sindh,” he questioned.

Calling the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) Repeal Bill 2017 a legitimate right, he had said its approval and implementation was the constitutional right of a province.