ISLAMABAD: Justice (r) Javed Iqbal, who officially assumed charge as the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), on Wednesday said that all major cases before the bureau would be taken to their logical conclusion.
He said this while informally talking to media outside the Parliament House where he was scheduled to appear before the Senate’s Standing Committee on Human Rights. He expressed the hope that all matters will be resolved smoothly. He affirmed to conclude all major cases without unnecessary delay in any of the proceedings.
“It is not new for me to face challenges,” he commented.
The NAB chairman did not name the cases against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family but said that all the cases would be followed as per law and no delay would be tolerated. He added that cases against politicians would be dealt on merit.
Iqbal said he would complete all the major corruption cases in the same way as he had completed the report regarding the Abbottabad Inquiry Commission. It is up to the government to release it, he added.
The NAB chairman further apprised that he will continue to head the Missing Persons Commission as its final report is in the last phase, and will leave the commission once the report has been concluded.
Responding to questions, the new NAB chairman said he had briefed the then prime minister about the Abbottabad Commission report but perhaps he did not pay due attention to it, he added.
Earlier, when Iqbal reached NAB headquarters on Wednesday morning to formally assume charge as head of the federal anti-graft body, he was received by Deputy Chairman NAB and other officers.
Assigning the officials their first task, the new NAB chief asked for the details of all outstanding cases, references and records.
Speaking to the Senate committee, headed by Senator Nasreen Jalil, later in the day, Iqbal said that he has given importance to the parliament and the constitution all his life.
He said the Balochistan missing persons’ numbers have been exaggerated.
Iqbal informed the Senate body that several foreign agencies and non-state actors were active in Balochistan.
He also said that the illegal confinement of people is unacceptable and that Pakistan is not a banana republic where people can go missing.
