Historic legislation and ignorant ayes.

The PTI government certainly set a historic record Thursday evening by passing not one but 15-plus laws in less than two working hours of a National Assembly sitting.

In the haste of proving its capacity for fast-track legislation, it also demolished the utility of standing committeesof the National Assembly for good. Around eight ordinances, the President had signed hardly a week ago, were 'taken into consideration at once,' and the crowd sitting on the treasury benches quickly converted them into laws by constantly chanting 'Ayes,' like the caged parrots.

If you managed to reach any MNA of the ruling party, randomly, he or she would just not be able to explain salient features of any of the laws, passed on Thursday.

This correspondent is considered an 'expert,' when it comes to explain the legislative business for a newspaper reader or to a regular TV viewer, due to reporting the National Assembly proceedings since 1985. To be honest, even I remain clueless until writing this column.

Quick glancing of the plethora of documents that I had brought to home from the National Assembly could, so far, tell me that the PTI had also made it 'legal' to keep everyone, arrested by NAB, in C-class of the jails like ordinary criminals.

Section 10 of the National Accountability Ordinance of 1999 had been amended to clearly declare: 'Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other law or any instructions etc. for the time being in force, any person arrested under the provisions of this (NAB) Ordinance for any offence involving any amount above fifty million rupees shall be entitled to 'C' class or equivalent only in the prison irrespective of the stage of inquiry, investigation or trial.'

The enforced amendment is indeed 'draconian,' even if you don't feel too motivated about the human rights. Our Accountability outfit relishes the absolute power of nabbing any citizen of Pakistan for suspecting him or her as 'corrupt'. It does not need to prove its case through diligent prosecution. The accused has to prove his or her innocence. Even to get the bail from High Courts, if arrested by NAB, the accused has to wait not less than two years on average. He or she would continue rotting in 'C' class of our jails, even if proven not guilty at the end of a tedious and rigorous legal battle.

But the same amendment would certainly please the corruption-hating base of the PTI. By enforcing it, Prime Minister Imran Khan appeared fully committed to his...