ISLAMABAD: The parliament's joint sitting has passed the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeking to "empower" the body's chairman, after President Arif Alvi refused to give his assent.

Both houses the National Assembly and the Senate passed the bill in April, but the president — in the same month — returned the bill to the parliament and advised the lawmakers to "reconsider" the amendments.

The president sent the bill back to the parliament under Article 75(1)(b) of the Constitution, saying that earlier amendments to the accountability laws were already pending before the Supreme Court — after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan challenged earlier amendments.

"This aspect has not been addressed in the bill and the prime minister’s advice," the president had noted.

Now, as the joint sitting has passed the bill, even if the head of the state does not approve it within 10 days, the Constitution states that it will be deemed that the president has given his assent.

Presenting the motion for seeking approval of the bill, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the laws that were made during a dictator's rule were now being used for political engineering.

The minister mentioned that despite Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) claim that the bill was an "NRO-II", time would show the party that it is really an "NRO-II" for the PTI.

"NAB, under former chairman Javed Iqbal, was used for political engineering," Tarar said.

Referring to the Supreme Court hearing on the NAB bill, the law minister said no institution has the right to interfere in the parliament's matters.

"We have not interfered in any other institution's jurisdiction so far [and we expect the same from the judiciary]," the minister said.

The law minister added that the president — who returned the bill — has no right to seize the parliament's rights as he has "no idea about the parliament's powers".

After the minister's motion, Jamaat-e-Islami's Senator Mushtaq Ahmed called for making some amendments to the law, but the house rejected those suggestions.