National Accountability Bureau (NAB) clarified that NAB Chairman Admiral (r) Fasih Bokhari was appointed through due process by the President of Pakistan u/s 6 of NAO 1999 and had never been an employee of Bahria Town.
Clarifying allegations made during a private TV channel show, NAB spokesperson said that the accusations made in the show were potentially ‘libellous’ and ‘factually inaccurate’.
The spokesperson also negated Khawaja Asif’s assertions that 16 to 17 Directors General and Directors of NAB were former employees of Bahria Town. He said that while being a former employee of an organization did not disqualify an individual from being employed by any other organization, there never had been nor was there a serving Director General or Director in NAB who had been a former employee of Bahria Town.
The only officer currently serving in NAB, who had been a former employee of Bahria Town, is Lt Col (r) Pervez Ahmad Khan who was employed on contract for serving in NAB (Rawalpindi).
Two other officers, Lt Col (r) Abdul Hamid Malik and Maj(r) Tariq Mahmood, also former employees of Bahria Town, were hired on contract for services and left NAB within a few weeks. There were three individuals in the lower staff of NAB who were also former employees of Bahria Town, the spokesperson clarified. .
Khawaja Asif had also stated that in 1997, Rear Admiral Jamil Akhtar had approached him on behalf of Admiral Bokhari and subsequently, Admiral Bokhari had also called him personally requesting him for leniency with regard to the Bahria Foundation. The spokesman clarified that whereas in fact in 1997 Admiral (r) Bokhari, in his capacity as Chief of Naval Staff, had ordered an inquiry on the legality of negotiations under which Bahria Foundation had been instituted.
To the best of Admiral (r) Bokhari’s recollection, he had never sent Rear Admiral Akhtar nor had he ever telephoned or made any contact with Khawaja Asif.
“The chairman reserved his right to initiate legal action under laws of libel for potentially libellous statements made during this programme,” said the spokesperson.
