ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said that the assets of Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Former Justice Javed Iqbal and other senior officials should be investigated like they probe assets of others.
Ahsan, while talking to media, after appearing before Accountability Court in Narowal Sports City Complex Project (NSCCP) scam, said that he would file defamation suit against the chairman NAB.
He said that during the custody of the NAB, he could not continue physiotherapy of his arm as advised by the doctors after his surgery. He said that Imran Khan had given open hand to the NAB for his own benefits. During the PML-N tenure the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had not been tasked to make false cases against opposition, he said, adding that Imran Khan had assigned political task to the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to make it controversial.
Ahsan said that he wanted to tell the bureaucracy that not to tarnish their image due to Imran Khan. Politicians were being insulted by the NAB, he said. He alleged that the anti-graft body's investigators intimidated government officials for making them approver. Government officials told him that they record their statement against him (Ahsan) under the NAB's pressure, he claimed.
Earlier, he along with other accused appeared before the Accountability Court-III judge, Syed Ali Ashgar, in the NSCCP case but the court deferred their indictment due to absence of the NAB prosecutor. The court marked attendance of all the accused, and directed all the accused persons to ensure their presence before it during the next hearing.
The defence counsel also requested the court to adjourn hearing. Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri counsel for Ahsan Iqbal did not appear before the court due to his nomination as judge. The court adjourned hearing till December 22nd.
The other accused of the scam includes former director general (DG) Sport Board Akhtar Nawaz, Sarfaraz Rasool of Pakistan Sport Board, Asif Sheikh, and a private contractor, Muhammad Ahmed. The NAB has filed the NSCCP reference against Iqbal, former Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms (PD&R) and other accused on November 18th. The reference has been filed in connection with the NSCCP in which accused, Ahsan Iqbal misused his authority to illegally enhance the scope of project from Rs34.75 million to Rs2,994 million approximately.
Accused, Ahsan Iqbal by misusing his authority hijacked the provincial project in violation of 18th constitutional amendment and the Council of Common Interests (CCI) decision on April 28, 2011, with ulterior motives, and made huge wasteful expenditure from the federal government exchequer. Moreover, the accused, Ahsan Iqbal, by misusing his authority illegally and unlawfully, without any justification increased the cost of project from 730 million to Rs3 billon, by misusing his authority for personal political mileage.
Accused Ahsan Iqbal from 2012-2013 to 2016-2017 diverted about 90 percent of sports funds of Ministry of IPC to his constituency by misusing his position to cement his political position by depriving the whole country through blatant conflict of interest.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020