Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) former Justice Javed Iqbal Tuesday said the Bureau will never offer National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)-like concessions to anyone.
Addressing an event organised at NAB Rawalpindi office, he said that the Bureau is investigating corruption inquiries against some politicians. It would be better for them to opt for plea bargain option instead of criticising the NAB in TV talk shows, he said while referring to those against whom the Bureau is investigating cases. "After opting for plea bargain you can go to the country where you want to, as the NAB has never expressed any desire to keep anyone in its custody," he added. The NAB chairman in an obvious reference to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) government in Sindh said that on one hand a minor boy who was bitten by a stray dog dies of rabies while on the other those who were supposed to spend budget on health, did not spend it over health and they are answerable for the loss of child's life.
"There are some people who go to the United States or the UK even for the treatment of flu or cough," he said.
The NAB chairman said that now another 'wave' of accountability has started as focus of accountability is being shifted from the people who enjoyed over three decades rule to the persons ruling the country for 12 to 14 months. It would also help dilute the impression that the NAB is conducting a one-sided accountability, he added.
Iqbal said that no threat or criticism can deter him from performing his national duty of eradicating corruption and conducting accountability. The NAB chairman that he has no enmity or friendship or personal grudges against anyone and the Bureau will continue to work in accordance with the law and will take action on corruption-related complaints.
He lamented that the Bureau is not being allowed to work in a province (Sindh), adding whenever the NAB initiates a case, a provincial minister appears on TV screens and starts criticizing the NAB by accusing it of showing discrimination. He directed the officers to work fearlessly. He said the NAB has the right to raise questions over the authenticity of a project when over one million rupees would be spent on Rs a 5,000 project.
Commenting about the media criticism over the NAB for not taking up the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Peshawar case, he said the Supreme Court has granted a stay order in the BRT case. The Bureau is trying to get the stay vacated granted by the apex court in this case to take the cases to their logical conclusion.
He said that indeed the investigation of white-collar crime is extremely difficult as the crime, for example, is committed in Lahore and property is revealed in London. The illegal money travels from a country to several countries and lands in another country, he said. The performance of NAB must not be judged on the statements of the people who are at NAB's radar. The media should confirm a report before publishing or broadcasting it. The media had alleged on Monday last that NAB Rawalpindi summoned the mother of former chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Akram Khan Durrani. It was a fake news, he said and added that the NAB has the policy to avoid the arrest of woman suspects and only sends questionnaires to women.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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