The National Accountability Amendment Ordinance 2023 was approved by the Pakistan federal cabinet on the recommendation of the Ministry of Law and Justice.
As a result of the revisions to the National Accountability Ordinance 1999, it has become increasingly difficult to transfer cases outside the purview of the NAB ordinance to other courts, tribunals, and forums.
The NAB Ordinance XVIII was revised after appropriate consultations, giving accountable courts the legal authority to transfer cases to other courts and forums. Additionally, this action disproves any notion that crimes not covered by NAB Ordinances have been decriminalised.
Two other policies, the National Clean Air Policy and the Hajj Policy 2023 were also approved at the same cabinet meeting. The meeting’s moderator, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, urged the authorities to develop a comprehensive plan as soon as possible with Saudi Arabian officials in order to give Hajj pilgrims the best possible transportation and lodging options.
Additionally, he commended the Ministry of Climate Change for creating the Clean Air Policy and gave instructions on how to ensure that it is implemented correctly.
Before the cabinet, the Ministry of Climate Change presented the new policy for approval. It emphasised the prior years’ rising air pollution levels in many major cities. The cities with the worst air pollution were Karachi and Lahore, according to the Air Quality Index Report 2022-23.
The average lifespan of people had been shortened by 2.7 years as a result of air pollution, it added. The goal of the policy is to safeguard the health of the populace, lower yearly death rates, advance agriculture, and reduce air pollution.
The proposed policy calls for the promotion of fuel upgrades from the Euro 5 standard to the Euro 6 standard, strict regulations to limit industrial emissions, modernised agriculture, and the cessation of crop waste burning.
Additionally, it promotes the use of low-emission cooking gases and the adoption of international standards for waste management. If adopted, the policy would reduce toxic gas emissions by 40% over the following ten years, resulting in a two-year increase in the average lifespan in Pakistan.
The cabinet also received a briefing on a plan for conserving fuel. To carry out the goals set by the cabinet, the Ministries of Power, Petroleum, Industry, Commerce, and Information are cooperating.
The Economic Coordination Committee’s and the Cabinet Committee for Legislative Cases’ decisions from their respective meetings on March 1, March 6, and March 6, respectively, were approved by the cabinet.
Adopting these policies and strategies, Pakistan is taking a significant step toward improving its overall governance and addressing the pressing issues of air pollution and fuel conservation.
