Many political parties including the mainstream parties like the PPP and the PML(N) which once were so vocal in their demand to bring the judiciary and the armed forces within the ambit of the so-called National Accountability Commission retreated from their stand as a result of which Mr Farhatullah Babar, one leading member of the parliamentary committee engaged with the task of legislation in the matter has resigned from the said committee .
There is no gainsaying the fact that a comprehensive system of accountability already exists both in the higher judiciary and the Army for dealing with the corrupt element within these two state institutions. There is supreme judicial council in the judiciary, whereas, the military Act is a part of the Army under which court martial proceedings are held against those armymen who break the laws.
The already existing systems of accountability in the judiciary can further be strengthened by amending the law so that pension and all other financial benefits of the convicted judge should be stopped permanently. In addition proceedings of the supreme judicial council should be held in the open instead of holding them in camera. The judiciary and the Army should put the names of the officers convicted by the supreme judicial council and by the military courts through court martial on their websites annually. These two state institutions have an elaborate systems of accountability of their own so the political parties have done well not to bring them within the mischief of national accountability commission.