News
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
National Accountability (Amend) Ordinance
SC asks Zafar to prove PM not consulted
By Hasnaat Malik
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Syed Zafar Ali Shah to produce a solid proof of his claim that the president did not consult the prime minister while issuing the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance 2010.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and consisting of Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, was hearing different petitions challenging the amended ordinance.
During the hearing, Attorney General of Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq submitted that the ordinance was non-operative and still with a standing committee of the Senate. He said the ordinance would lapse on January 14.
On the other hand, Zafar Ali Shah submitted that he had asked for the details of the prime minister’s speech, which he had not been provided as yet. Shah said he has also made the printer a respondent in the petition just to know when the ordinance was issued and when it was printed. Justice Ramday said that a law pertaining to access to information had been made while it had been included in the basic human rights as well.
“You can get the information from the printing press as well,” he added. “You are attacking personalities like the president and the prime minister in the issue but could not produce solid evidences in the court,” the CJP asked the petitioner
Shah and Shahid Orakzai have requested the apex court to declare that the promulgation of any ordinance by the president without positive advice of the prime minister violates the constitution and invokes the Article 47. They contended that the NAB law amendment was aimed to take away the powers of the NAB chairman. They questioned as to whether the president could promulgate an ordinance under Article 89 without the advice of the cabinet or the prime minister.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk