- Will he also fulfill the expectations?
Justice (r) Javed Iqbal has started his tenure as Chairman NAB with a flourish that could not have gone unnoticed. Talking to a TV channel soon after being appointed he promised to personally monitor the process of prosecution in references related to the Panamagate case. Within weeks he ordered a probe into the Multan Metro Bus project. He also immediately sought report from NAB’s Karachi chapter regarding allegations of biased treatment leveled by former Sindh minister Sharjeel Memon. Early this month the Bureau summoned Ch Shujaat Hussain and Pervaiz Elahi to record their statements in connection with corruption references initiated in 2000. On Friday NAB initiated the process to place ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and four of his family members on the Exit Control List (ECL). On Saturday, the NAB Chairman ordered a probe into the alleged corruption of billions in 56 companies working under the Punjab government.
With corruption being a national issue, the performance of the new chairman NAB would be closely watched. As per record no institution enjoying power or influence can claim immunity from the phenomenon. There is a need therefore to treat a corrupt individual as a common criminal irrespective of the institution or section of society he belongs to. It is comparatively easier to lay hands on politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen. The test will come when the new NAB chief takes decision on cases, currently gathering dust in the archives of his offices, against powerful criminals belonging to other categories.
The two party system that had begun to develop roots in the 90s has given place to a multi-party polity. Besides the three parties which now administer Punjab, Sindh, KP, and Balochistan there are others which have tasted power as important partners in multi-party administrations that have ruled the center and the provinces since 2002. These include the PML-Q, PML-F ANP, MQM, JUI-F, JI and nationalist groups from Balochistan. Keeping accountability confined to PPP and PML-N alone would therefore raise questions. One expects the new NAB chief to be even-handed.
