‘Vast majority of NAB amendments were introduced by PTI via ordinances’

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Saturday fiercely rebutted allegations of former prime minister Imran Khan on the recently-passed amendments to laws governing the country’s apex anti-corruption watchdog, terming his allegations as a ‘pile of lies’.

Addressing the media after Imran Khan’s televised address earlier in the day, the law minister claimed that 80% of amendments made to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws and recently passed by the parliament were those which had been introduced by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government through an ordinance.

He said that the incumbent government had only amended the law to stop its misuse.

He termed the allegations made by Imran Khan a ‘pile of lies’ and said that NAB and Imran Khan were responsible for pushing the country into an economic crisis.

The law minister maintained that the amendments made by the government are in accordance with the Constitution and the law.

He advised the former prime minister of refraining from giving statements on NAB laws as he had now taken the matter to the Supreme Court.

He said that the government, through amendments, protected civil servants from NAB’s blackmailing and cited observations and remarks of the Supreme Court which suggested that the anti-graft watchdog was used to exact political revenge.

“It was the same NAB and its law that were declared as ‘dark’,” the minister contended and said that the authority’s chairman was the center of power and the one who made the institution hostage.

Tarar said the government would defend the amendments in the apex court.