Islamabad, Apr 5: New Pakistan Law Minister Farooq H Naek has said that the PPP-led Gilani government could not abolish the National Accountability Bureau
(NAB) Ordinance without the permission of President Pervez Musharraf.

He said that the PPP would have to join hands with the President to get an amendment to the Constitution to abolish the NAB as President’s consent was mandatory for initiating any amendment to the sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The NAB Ordinance also falls under the sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

Naek said the prime minister had announced to reorganise the NAB courts, but the NAB Ordinance could not be repealed without the consent of the President.

He said the law ministry was studying the options of amending the laws protected by the Schedule-six and the consent of the President was required to initiate any amendment to the protected laws but study of all options was being carried on.

"Legislation is being made while keeping in view the provisions of the Constitution on the wrapping up of the NAB. The law which is in the offing will be of public interest and the PPP will repeal all black laws which have been made to suppress the common man and will dispel all such courts that do not come under the jurisdiction of the superior courts,” The News quoted

Senator SM Zafar, a senior pro-Musharraf legal luminary, agreed with Naek's view, and said according to the present constitutional position, even parliament could not undertake any amendments to any clause that fell in the Schedule-six of the Constitution.

Senior advocate and PML-Q Senator Dr Khalid Ranjha said parliament had to take the permission of the President to initiate any amendment to the Schedule-six of the Constitution and any amendment without the president's sanction would be unconstitutional. (ANI)