Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on law and justice rejected Supreme Court judges’ amendment bill and has decided to set up a three member subcommittee to revisit National Accountability Bureau service laws. The committee was of the unanimous opinion that judges in the Supreme Court should be appointed on merit and to reserve quota for women judges would impinge upon the performance of the court.

The meeting of the committee was held at Parliament House on Tuesday with the chair of senator Javed Abbasi in the chair and attended by senator Farooq H Naik, Aitzaz Ahsan, Azam Sawati, Saeen Ghani, Aisha Raza Farooq, Nehal Hashmi, Saleem Zia, Zahida Khan and Barister Saif Khan. Senator Babar Awan proposed constitutional amendments in the Senate, seeking to increase the number of Supreme Court judges to include special quota for women judges that should not be increased from one third of the total strength.

The Senate House sent this bill to the standing committee for debate and was directed to seek inputs from the Bar association across the country as the legal fraternity was the main stakeholder of this issue. Pakistan Bar Association, Supreme Court bar association and all other bar associations strongly opposed this amendment calling the bill contrary to the spirit of the constitution of Pakistan.

Senator Saeed Ghani and Senator Khawaja Karim from PPP supported the bill and called upon the chair to postpone the voting on the bill for the time being as the mover of the bill Dr Babar Awan was not present in the meeting. Chairman committee apprised the other members that chairman Senate directed him to dispose of this bill as already three meetings over this issue had been held and during these meeting Babar Awan remained absent from the discussion.

The committee also examined the national accountability Bureau (NAB) service structure laws and OPS laws, terming them contrary to the spirit of the constitution and NAB ordinance. The committee expressed its annoyance with the chairman NAB for absorbing 29 senior officers into NAB who were inducted on deputation basis and opined that chairman NAB sweeping powers should be curtailed to bar him from providing undue favours to his cronies.

The matter of the officers who were working in NAB on deputation was raised in senate by Senator Saeed Ghani and the house unanimously sent this matter to law and justice standing committee for consideration. Senator Saeed Ghani told the committee that an important case in which billions of rupees were involved is being probed by officers who were appointed as acting officers and called upon the committee to take stern action against the authority who are violating the laws by handing over the important posts in NAB to officers inducted as disputants.

Saeed Ghani informed the committee that Supreme Court had already taken suo motto notice of illegal appointment and promotion in NAB and called upon chairman committee to put off the deliberation till the outcome of the court was concluded. Chairman senator Javed Abbasi rejected his observation and remarked that parliament should perform its own function and let the court function in its own domain.

The law and justice committee also strongly condemned the brazen attack on the media house and anti Pakistan language used in the rally of MQM. Vitriolic language against Pakistan is unacceptable and the move to gag the media by force would be resisted strongly , chairman committee opined.