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Muzaffarabad : (Parliament Times) The Supreme Court of Pakistan’s detailed decision on the role of NAB in the Khawaja Brothers case, termed the recent amendments in the Azad Jammu Kashmir Accountability Bureau as the best.
The amended Accountability Bureau Act has already been enacted in Azad Kashmir, according to which the issues identified in the recent Supreme Court decision in Pakistan have been clarified.
The AJK Legislative Assembly has amended the Accountability Bureau Act, under which the Chairman Accountability Bureau or any of its officers will not be able to arrest anyone without a court order and in case of complaint or reference against any person, the arrest will be subject to the permission of the accountability court. In case of arrest, maximum physical remand can be taken up to 14 days. There will be a complete ban on the media trial of any person during arrest or interrogation. Their self-esteem will never be compromised.
The Accountability Bureau will be required to complete the process of investigation and submission of challan within one year. The accountability court will decide the cases within 60 days. No application will be processed unless the complainant includes a copy of his identity card and affidavit. In case of complaint, the accused will be given opportunity to defense his position. In all cases, the proof will be based on the prosecution.
Plea bargain has already been abolished by the Islamic Ideological Council. The accountability court and the High court could grant bail and no accused will be handcuffed in case of arrest. Recruitments will be through Public Service Commission in AJK Accountability Bureau and ‘The Civil Servants Act’ will apply to all employees of the Accountability Bureau. The Chief Prosecutor will also be appointed as per of Advocate General of AJK.
In case of false complaint, the complainant will be punished with one year imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 50 thousand. The various crimes that trials are conducted according to the rules laid down under different laws will not come under the purview of the Accountability Bureau. The Accountability Bureau will only look into issues related to corruption and corrupt practices.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan’s decision on the role of NAB declaring the accountability process controversial and one-sided and its purpose to change allegiances and interpret it as political revenge, the amended Accountability Bureau Act has already been enacted in Azad Kashmir, according to which the issues identified in the recent Supreme Court decision in Pakistan have been clarified.