Investigation into allegations necessary
Serious concerns were raised by the opposition in the National Assembly about the interrogation tactics being employed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ranging from the use of mental torture to get “favorable statements” to drugging detainees so that they “could not give statements against NAB in court”. Just a week ago Mujahid Kamran ex-VC of Punjab University also under NAB custody painted a horrific picture of circumstances of his detention alleging four persons to each tiny cell and CCTV cameras in the toilets. This comes at a time when the accountability body has been under severe criticism by the government and judiciary for its incompetence to effectively prosecute the accused in the absence of satisfactory evidence. Then there was the media fiasco with DG NAB Lahore who – presumably with his boss’s blessings – discussed details of high profile cases and interrogation sessions on various talk shows only to be stopped from continuing when his own credentials came under question. The way in which the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif was summoned in one case and arrested in another has received harsh criticism for the deception given how he was regularly appearing whenever summoned and was not a flight risk. Add to the mix alleged interrogation tactics reserved for hardened criminals and the whole process begs the question: is this actual accountability or a witch hunt? A disproportionate number of arrests made from opposition parties do not bode well for the watchdog’s reputation either.
It is imperative that a bipartisan inquiry into these allegations is carried out as suggested by Rana Sanaullah of the PML-N. It would serve the ruling party well to undertake this exercise since some of its own senior ministers are also under NAB investigation. If the allegations are proven correct the concerned senior officers should be removed from their posts and replaced with more competent and experienced people. A fresh look at the institution’s ordinance is necessary to address reservations over its conduct and jurisdiction – something previous governments refused to do and instead used NAB for politics. Meaningful legislation to do this will only be passed if the opposition and government realize that a reformed NAB will be in both their interests in the long run.