Opposition seeks details of NRO beneficiaries

ISLAMABAD Expressing serious concerns about the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), PML-N and PML-Q parliamentarians have demanded the government to provide details of its beneficiaries and the cases withdrawn under it.
The opposition parties made their point clear in a National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice meeting held here on Thursday at the Parliament House.
Held under the chair of Naseem Akhtar Chaudhry, the committee meeting was attended by Zahid Hamid, Saira Afzal Tarar, Anoosha Rehman, and Justice (Retd) Iftikhar Ahmad Cheema from PML-N; Riaz Fatiana, Raza Hayat Heraj and Amir Muqam form PML-Q; Iqbal Qadri from MQM; and Fakhar un Nisa Khokhar, Shakeela Khanum Rashid, Naveed Qamar and Zafar Ali Shah from PPP.
Source informed that during the meeting, the opposition parties were of the view that discussing the NRO without any information about the people who had taken advantage of it was useless.
The source further reported that the members of the opposition parties also asked the government to inform the committee about the types of cases withdrawn under it, as committee was unaware of the number of criminal and political cases registered and later withdrawn under NRO.
Talking to media representatives, Amir Muqam and Raza Hayat Heraj said that the PML-Q had sought the record from government about the cases withdrawn and the persons who had benefited from the NRO. PML-Q would boycott committee meeting if the details were not provided to them at the next meeting today (Friday), they warned.
Zahid Hamid and Anosha Rehman from PML-N said the NRO was a black law and the committee should reject it. NRO was aimed at striking a deal which benefited former President General (retired) Pervez Musharraf. PML-N staunchly opposed it in the meeting.
This ordinance in conflict with clause 2-A of the Objective Resolution, fundamental human rights, and article 62 and 63 of the Constitution of Pakistan. If the parliament approves it, it will be tantamount to depriving the judiciary of its independence, they remarked.
Some six members belonging to opposition parties were in strong opposition of the ordinance and only one member from the opposition side, Riaz Fatiana, reportedly spoke in favour of the bill.
Chairperson of the committee Naseem Akhtar Chaudhry said had the NRO not been inacted, the incumbent parliament would not have come into existence. The objections raised by PML-N on reconstitution of the committee had been sent to the Speaker and only the Speaker could give any decision in this respect, he indicated.
It is worth mentioning here that the Leader of Opposition Ch. Nisar Ali Khan had written to the Speaker National Assembly pointing out the induction of Federal Minister for Privatization Syed Naveed Qamar in the committee in sheer violation of the statutes governing the functioning of these bodies.