PTI to move SC against amendments to NAB law this week

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has announced to challenge amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law in Supreme Court (SC) this week, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference, the former premier strongly criticised the NAB amendments and said that the changes in the law will pave the corruption in Pakistan as the powerful people would not fear punishment now.

“These rulers should be put in jail for their shamelessness. Nobody can pass such laws as this government did,” he said, adding that the party would challenge the amendments in the Supreme Court this week.

Explaining the NAB amendments, the PTI Chairman said that the incumbent government amended section 14 of the law, which now states that a person will only be held accountable for the “money left in the fake accounts (when a person is arrested)”.

Imran Khan said after the NAB law amendments, the watchdog will have to prove whether a person accumulated wealth illicitly, as the government has shifted the burden from the person to the watchdog.

He further said that the amendments were a ‘bigger crime’ than ‘bombarding’ Pakistan, vowing that he would continue ‘jihad’ against the current rulers as he did during the tenure of his government.

Earlier in the day, the former premier strongly criticized the amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law and said the party would not remain silent and approach every constitutional and legal forum.

The former premier made these remarks while chairing a meeting of PTI spokespersons. The meeting discussed coalition government’s amendments to the NAB law.

Speaking during the meeting, Imran Khan said that the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2022 “would help the incumbent government get another NRO”.  “These rulers are attempting to close the cases against them under the pretext of reforms,” he added.

The meeting also discussed the recent statement by Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir. “The statement has proved that the incumbent government wants NRO. Inflation and public issues are not the priority of imported government,” the PTI Chairman added.

The meeting also condemned Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement regarding the President, terming it ‘shameful’ and ‘deviation from oath’, sources told ARY News.

The former premier further said that NRO had caused irreparable damage to the country economically and morally. “We will not remain silent and will approach every constitutional and legal forum against NAB amendments,” he added.