ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman former Justice Javed Iqbal on Sunday said that NAB gave high priority to mega corruption white collar crime cases and those who have devoured billions of rupees of innocent Pakistanis through corruption.

NAB chairman former Justice Javed Iqbal NAB in a statement said “NAB has no affiliation with any individual, party or organization but with the country and is performing its duties.”

He said “Eradication of corruption has become the voice of the whole nation as it not only halted the progress of the country but also usurped the rights of the deserving people. Pakistan is facing the challenge of corruption which is the root cause of all problems being endured by the country. NAB has chalked out a comprehensive Anti corruption strategy comprising awareness, prevention and enforcement under “Accountability for All” policy.”

Besides overhauling and perfecting working procedures in order to make NAB a more credible and reputed organization to eradicate corruption in all its forms and manifestations. The Chairman said that NAB has rejuvenated by implementing his Accountability for All Policy across the board under the slogan of “NAB’s Faith-Corruption free Pakistan.”

The results have yielded excellent dividends. Well reputed national and international organisations like Transparency International Pakistan, World Economic Forum, PILDAT and Mishal Pakistan have not only lauded NAB’s efforts for eradication of corruption.

According to Gillani and Gallup Survey about 59 percent people have shown their confidence in NAB. He said that NAB during the present management has brought big fish to justice for the first time and recovered Rs. 539 billion from corrupt elements directly and indirectly from Oct 2017 to Nov 2021 that no one previously had ever been able to accomplish since the establishment of the anti-corruption watchdog in 1999, besides overall recovery of Rs. 821 billion, NAB has filed 1,278 corruption references in the various learned Accountability Courts which are under adjudication and their approximate worth is 1,335 billion.

He said that not just in Pakistan alone, NAB has now emerged as a role model for countries under South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) which includes India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. NAB heads the SAARC anti-corruption forum.

It is a focal organization for Pakistan under the United Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). NAB has also signed a unique Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China to extend cooperation in tackling corruption and to oversee CEPC projects being under process in Pakistan.

Among other achievements of NAB, it has established a state of the Art Forensic Science Laboratory in NAB Rawalpindi besides establishing its own Pakistan Anti-Corruption Training Academy at NAB Headquarters. The academy is meant to train and equip its investigation officers with modern techniques to investigate white collar crimes on the basis of lessons learnt in order to eradicate corruption.

He said that NAB has also signed a Memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Higher Education Commission to spread awareness among students at Universities/Colleges level as part of Chairman’s vision to make our future leadership aware of the effects of corruption.

It is a remarkable effort. In this regard, over 50 thousand Character Building Societies (CBS) have been established in universities/colleges throughout the country. In order to streamline the working of NAB, NAB has also ensured that a highest degree of transparency and merit is maintained at all levels of enforcement.

From complaint verification to the final stage of filing a reference full level of transparency is maintained, guided, supervised and closely watched and an innovative concept of combined investigation team (CIT) has been introduced in order to benefit from collective wisdom and to improve the quality of investigation on the basis of solid evidence as per law.