- NAB becomes a beehive of activity
The National Accountability Bureau has cast off its previous lethargy and sprung into action with new arrests, inquiries, investigations and references, which will no doubt cause sleepless nights to the corrupt, ruthless despoilers of the country’s economy and institutions, who are also responsible for the poverty and cynical disillusionment of the average citizen. It is truly a Herculean task, this eradication of the corruption octopus, whose tentacles have spread to every stratum of society and walk of life. A culture of corruption flourishes, widely accepted and almost institutionalised, and wealth, even ill-gotten, is the undisputed creed.
The NAB’s Executive Board Meeting on Monday embodied its new crusading spirit and resolve as a long list of new cases was approved for further probe. The only ‘qualifications’ considered were allegations of corruption, swindling, ‘suspicious transactions’ highlighted by State Bank of Pakistan, possession of assets beyond known sources of income, abuse of authority, undeclared wealth illegally stashed abroad, and loss caused to the national exchequer. These, however, remain only allegations, until proved within the mandatory 10 months, with the accused provided fair opportunity to establish their innocence. While supplementary references were filed against Sharif family members in Flagship Investment, Azizia Steel Mills, Avenfield Properties and against Ishaq Dar, an inquiry approved in their Chaudhry Sugar Mills, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief minister of PTI, a close aide of Imran Khan, and a senior KP official were also in the inquiry list, as were Senator Usman Saifullah of PPP and others named in Panama Papers, minister of state Anusha Rehman, Paragon City and a host of officials from various provincial governments and ‘notorious’ public sector organisations.
Such an excessive workload demands focused, dedicated and tireless efforts on the part of NAB officials, and the NAB chairman in a pep talk rightfully conveyed that elimination of corruption should be considered as their national responsibility, and performed with honesty and without laxity or pressure. What is more NAB must not put more on its plate that it can consume. Further, it must not create a perception of playing to the gallery.
