National Reconciliation Ordinance

Sat, Nov 7 06:47 AM

There was uproar in Pakistan's political and media circles this week over the intended tabling of the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in Parliament on Monday. The NRO is a legacy of former President Pervez Musharraf which intended to provide legal cover to the late Benazir Bhutto and husband Asif Zardari from corruption cases against them and allow Bhutto to return to Pakistan. Dawn, on November 2 did a recap: "NRO is bound to provoke fiery debates — mainly on grounds of morality — with the PPP-led coalition government seeking approval of an amended form of the decree that helped its creation and an opposition dominated by one-time followers of the two previous military rulers vowing to block it. The decree, which must come before the house in the form of a Bill, is one of 37 ordinances issued by Musharraf in the twilight of his power and which must receive parliamentary approval by November 28 or they will die under a Supreme Court ruling. In a ruling on July 31, the court nullified that emergency proclamation, but gave the government 120 days to decide the fate of the 37 ordinances after they lost protection given by the extra-constitutional move. An opposition outcry over the approval of a Bill to legitimise the NRO by the ruling coalition's majority indicated there will be no smooth sailing for the draft in the house."

Buckling under pressure from the Opposition, PPP decided against presenting the Bill, Daily Times reported on November 3: "The government decided against tabling the controversial NRO in Parliament for approval... Sources said the allied parties asked PPP to withdraw it and tap other 'legal and constitutional' means to deal with the situation emanating from the withdrawal..."

The Opposition knew exactly when and how to up the pressure on the government. The News reported on November 3: "PML-N has decided if the Bill is brought for voting in Parliament, instead of abstaining it will oppose the NRO tooth and nail, Nawaz Sharif said." DailyTimes quoted another opponent, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, former PM and PML-Q chief on November 3: "PML-Q calls the NRO 'financial

terrorism'".. Another PML-Q member added: "PML-Q had no role in its promulgation and Musharraf's stubbornness had resulted in the NRO"

Blame game

Daily Times on November 3 reported: "The government has found concrete evidence of New Delhi's involvement in the militancy in South Waziristan and has decided to discuss the matter with the Indian government, information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira and Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Athar Abbas jointly said. Kaira said Islamabad would still not deviate from the peace process aimed at resolving lingering disputes between the two countries. Abbas said large quantities of Indian arms and ammunition, literature, medical equipment and medicines had been recovered from Sherwangi near Kaniguram..." Dawn added: " It was the first time in recent times that Pakistan had pointed fingers at India from a forum having representation of political and military leadership..." The News stated: "It merits mentioning here that it is for the first time that Pakistan has categorically talked about India's hand behind militancy in South Waziristan."

Women's rights

The News on November 6 reported: "The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, passed unanimously by the National Assembly, amends existing legislation to impose a jail sentence for up to three years and a fine of up to Rs 500,000 for sexual harassment. Previously, the crime was rather loosely defined and provided for a sentence of up to a year. The law is the second within three months which seeks to improve the situation for women victims of violence. In August, a Bill on domestic abuse was adopted by both houses of Parliament. Another Bill, seeking penalties for harassment in the work place, is also likely to be tabled within weeks."

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