CM tries to win Opposition’s confidence over new anti-graft law

In a bid to dissuade Opposition parties from resisting the Sindh Accountability Bill, 2017, which is to be presented in the next assembly session, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday met with opposing parties’ leaders to take them into confidence over the new law.

Those who attended the meeting held at the CM house were opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Khawaja Izharul Hassan and Syed Sardar Ahmed of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan, Nand Kumar of the Pakistan Muslim League – Functional and Haji Shafi Jamote of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s parliamentary leader, Samar Ali Khan, was out of the country and the party did not send anyone in his stead.

Murad was assisted by Sindh Transport and Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Law Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar and Avocate General Sindh Zamir Ghumro.

Briefing the Opposition leaders over the need for a provincial accountability law, the CM said that he and his legal team believed that deciding upon a system to curb corruption was a provincial subject ever since the 18th Amendment was passed.

The CM told the meeting attendees that under the proposed law, the chairman of the provincial accountability authority would be appointed through the Sindh Assembly, while the Director General and Prosecutor General, the other two important positions of the proposed authority, would be appointed in consultation with the chairman.

The Sindh advocate general also briefed the protesting parties’ leaders on the contents of the law’s draft and said there would be no clause for plea bargains, whereas the law minister told them that even though the draft was being finalized, they [the Opposition leaders] could still be provided copies if they desired so.

However, Khawaja Izhar informed the CM that the parties were against the provincial accountability law and would, therefore, resist the proposed bill in the assembly.

Acknowledging that it was the Opposition’s democratic right to oppose the law, Murad stated, “I have not called you all here to bring you closer to our view, rather the only purpose of convening this meeting was to take you all into confidence over the proposed bill.”

 PTI misses meeting

A statement issued by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Khurrum Sher Zaman maintained that PTI’s lawmakers in the Sindh Assembly did not attend the parliamentary leaders’ meeting at the CM House. 

“We have boycotted this meeting because we believe there is no compromise on the bill through which the government of Sindh has repealed the NAB ordinance and tried to empower the anti-corruption establishment cell. If the Sindh government and its cronies are not involved in corruption then they should not be afraid of the National Accountability Bureau,” read the statement.