Business community: NAB not pursuing sales and income tax-related cases: chairman

ISLAMABAD: Former Justice Javed Iqbal, chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said that the NAB had great regard for the valuable services of the business community in the progress and prosperity of the country, said a press release issued on Monday.

Talking to a delegation of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association led by Asim Raza Khan, chairman Punjab Flour Mills Association comprising Muhammad Riaz, former chairman Punjab, Muhammad Jamil, former vice chairman, Munir Ahmed, secretary general, and Malik Ghulam Mustafa Arif at the NAB Headquarters.

He said that the NAB was not pursuing the sales and income tax-related cases of the business community, and had transferred all the existing cases related to sales tax and income tax to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) as per law.

He said that the notices issued by the NAB Multan to flour mills owners of Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan Divisions were being held in abeyance as firstly the matter was subjudice in the respected court of law. Second, Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab is also probing the matter. In the light of the above position, the chairman NAB will himself examine the cases as per law.

He asked the business community to provide flour to people on government rates. He said it was only rumors that the business community was perturbed due to the NAB actions, which were not correct as 1,210 references filed by the NAB in the respected accountability courts in various parts of the country, and cases of business community were not more than only two percent which also negates the alleged propaganda against the NAB.

He said the business community was playing an important role in the economic development of the country. He said a prosperous business community made a prosperous Pakistan. The NAB is performing its national duties as per law.

He said that he had himself decided to hold a "khuli ketchery" on the last Thursday of every month in order to listen to citizen complaints related to corruption. The NAB has not only listened to the problems of hundreds of complaints in "khuli ketchery" but also received thousands of complaints in 2020, which were almost double from the previous year 2019.

He said that the NAB had initiated action against illegal housing societies/modarba scams.

The chairman NAB said that the business community was the backbone of the country and the NAB accorded high priority to resolve the issues of the business community by establishing special complaints cells at the NAB Headquarters, and all regional bureaus of the NAB. He said that the NAB had established last year a special desk headed by a director at NAB headquarters to address business community's issues. The NAB is trying its utmost to address problems of the business community as per law.

The delegation of Pakistan Flour Mills Association led by Asim Raza Khan, chairman Punjab Flour Mills Association lauded the personal efforts of Justice Javed Iqbal for resolving the issues of the business community and expressed confidence over the NAB. He appreciated the remarkable efforts for eradication of corruption under the dynamic leadership of Justice Javed Iqbal for making Pakistan corruption free. He assured all support of Pakistan Flour Mills Association in that regard.-PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020