A bill introducing significant amendments to Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Ordinance, 1999, has been submitted to the Senate Secretariat by Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir.
The proposed National Accountability (Amendment) Act, 2026 seeks to revise key sections of the existing NAB law, including Sections 5, 6, and 7.
Key provisions of the proposed amendment include:
- Extension of Tenure: The terms of the NAB Chairman and other senior officials could now be extended, replacing the current law that makes their tenure non-extendable. The Chairman would also be allowed to continue performing duties until a successor is appointed, even after the official term expires.
- Lower Investigation Threshold: The minimum value for NAB investigations would be reduced from PKR 500 million to PKR 300 million, enabling the bureau to probe smaller corruption cases.
- Second Appeal to Federal Constitutional Court: A new Section 32A would allow a second appeal against High Court decisions, but only on substantial legal questions or serious procedural errors that could lead to a grave miscarriage of justice.
Currently, the NAB law does not permit extensions for the Chairman or Deputy Chairman, and appeals against High Court decisions are restricted.
Senate sources indicated that the amendments are expected to be debated and could potentially be approved in the next session, marking a significant shift in Pakistan’s approach to accountability and anti-corruption measures.
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