KARACHI: As the Sindh High Court has ordered the federal anti-graft body to continue with inquiries and investigation against members of provincial assembly and bureaucrats, Advocate General Sindh Zamir Gumro has written letter to the Chief Secretary Sindh and Law Department explaining the High Court orders. On Wednesday, a two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Muhammad Ali Sheikh directed the National Accountability Bureau to proceed with the inquiries and investigations pending before it till further orders. The bench also directed the accountability courts to continue proceeding with the NAB references pending disposal before them. The directives had came on set of petitions against the new provincial law that repeals applicability of the National Accountability Ordinance , better known as the NAB Ordinance, to government departments and autonomous bodies controlled by the Sindh government. On Thursday, AG Sindh Gumro wrote letter to Chief Secretary and Law Department explaining the legal position of the recently passed law that repealed the NAB Ordinance applicability in Sindh. Gumro in his letter clarified that High Court has not suspended the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 Sindh Repeal Bill, 2017. The letter said that NAB can not initiate new inquiries or investigation relating to provincial government departments, and autonomous bodies. It said that as per the court order, the provincial government departments should cooperate with NAB regarding all its ongoing inquiries and investigations. It is to be mentioned here that Muttahida Qaumi Qaumi Movement, the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional , the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf as well as civil rights campaigners had filed the petitions in the SHC against the law.
Published in Daily Times, August 18th 2017.
