President Dr Arif Alvi, after returning the electoral reforms bill unsigned, has now refused to approve the NAB (Amendment) bill and has sent it back to the prime minister without signing it, saying that the changes will destroy accountability, sai the President’s Secretariat statement.

“I personally abide by the Constitution, we must act upon injunctions of Quran and Sunnah, and above all, I am answerable to Allah asking for His forgiveness,” the president said in his letter, adding that his conscience did not allow him to sign the bill.

A day earlier, President Alvi returned the electoral reforms bill after recording his observation.

The president said that besides the proposed law’s regressive nature that he pointed out in detail when he referred the bill back to Parliament, he strongly believed that technology, especially with EVMs when used judiciously contains many solutions that reduce the impact of confusion, discord and accusations in our ‘ever-marred’ and challenged election processes.

On June 9, the joint session of the Parliament had passed the electoral reforms and NAB amendment bills and had sent them to the president for approval.

In today’s letter, the president said that unfortunately there were flaws in NAB’s implementations and it was misused for political exigencies by those in power.

He said that poor people would continue to be jailed for petty crimes while the corrupt rich would be free to loot and plunder.

“A strong effort for improvement was desperately needed. Our experiences of the last few decades should have guided us,” the president said, adding that instead of improving the law it was being weakened.

He said that he believed that the bill passed by the Parliament was regressive in nature and would promote corruption.