Govt amended NAB law to save its allies: Kaira.

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Central Punjab President Chaudhry Qamar Zaman Kaira on Sunday criticised the government's decision to bring in amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance, saying that the changes were introduced "to save their allies".

"In order to save their saathhi (allies), they have introduced amendments in the NAB ordinance so that whether it is the Malam Jabba case or the BRT case, their party members remain safe," said Kaira during a press conference in Islamabad.

Promising to bring in a new action plan, whereby "the government will be sent packing", Kaira said that signs of worry can already be seen on the part of the government.

"The extent of their worry is such that when Zardari said on the floor of the House that NAB and the economy cannot run together, a lot of criticism was dished out.

"When we said we want an amendment in the NAB laws, they accused us of seeking an NRO.

"We told them that our bill is ready for discussion in the Senate. But they not only refused, they resorted to bad mouthing," said Kaira, adding that the objectives behind bringing in the amendments now were evident.

He said it was already clear what the "fate" of the opposition leaders is after the courts granted them bail in various cases.

"Today, after this [new] ordinance, NAB cannot hold the army, the judiciary, the government, their allies, the bureaucracy, or the traders accountable.

"Only two parties remain who will now be probed and NAB will narrow its scope of investigation around these," said the PPP leader, in a reference to his own party and PML-N.

"The sins of those who allied with Khan sahib or the powerful have been forgiven. How will Khan sahib explain this amendment now?"

Kaira said that people now say there is no one left in their ranks. "So who did he mean to point at when he said he is facing a lot of resistance?"

"He says he wants change but his efforts are being denounced. He also says the opposition is nothing and can do nothing. Then who is he referring to? Who is countering his efforts?" said Kaira, continuing to raise questions on the premier's remarks made during an awards ceremony of the Pakistan Stock Exchange held in Karachi on Friday.

"What actually stands in his way are his own broken promises and his unveiled secrets," said Kaira.

He said that the "tsunami chant" the prime minister had loved to repeat during election campaigning "has come in the form of a plague and has drowned all schools of...