–NAB chairman says those who remained in power for last 40 years will be held accountable first rather than the ones who just came to power
–Javed Iqbal says corruption and money laundering cases were built on basis of solid evidence
ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Javed Iqbal on Thursday said the bureau was not targetting any specific political group in the name of the accountability, denying the impression that the watchdog was being used as a tool for the “political victimisation”.
Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad, he said NAB was pursuing only one-point agenda to purge the country of corruption and corrupt elements.
“NAB does not believe in political revenge and neither is it involved in politics. Our job is to eliminate corruption from the country,” he said. “NAB has affiliation with the state only as governments ‘come and go’, but it’s the state that is permanent,” he clarified.
Responding to the allegations levelled by the opposition leaders, he said one group of politicians remained in power for the past 40 years while another has just made it to the power corridors, so it would be only rational to hold the former accountable first.
“In the next step, we will audit those who have been in power for a few months and hold them accountable,” he said, adding the accountability watchdog focuses on “cases instead of faces”.
“There have been numerous cases which NAB did not pursue due to a lack of evidence. There was never a question of political revenge,” he said.
The NAB chief, in a thinly veiled reference, taunted the opposition, saying “chanting slogans is easier”, but if they have any proof about him meeting some politician then he would tender his resignation.
He regretted that corruption accused came out on production orders and started levelling allegations of political victimisation. He suggested them to spend their precious time on proving themselves innocent.
He said corruption and money laundering cases had been framed on the basis of sufficient information and solid evidence which would prove in due course of time. “There is solid evidence of billions of rupee money laundering,” he said.
The anti-corruption chief observed that Pakistan did not make to the list of developed countries “due to corrupt elements”.
There would be the accountability of all those who remained indulged in corrupt practices and made illegal assets and properties in the country and abroad, he warned.
He also responded to the allegations that the civil servants weren’t able to work because of NAB’s fear, saying the NAB would cause no disturbance in working of upright officers. “I am always available to facilitate and remove the concerns of the country’s bureaucracy,” he added.
The NAB chairman also noted that some lawmakers — including those under bureau’s scrutiny — had called for the “increased salaries of the bureau to be reduced and some had called to do away with the bureau altogether”.
He said NAB had so far deposited around Rs326 billion in national exchequer after recovering from plunderers, out of which Rs15. 25 billion were recovered in last twelve months.
Justifying the NAB budget, he said, all funds allocated to the bureau was being utilised judiciously, adding that a huge chunk of looted money had been deposited in the national kitty as compared to expenditures of NAB.
He appreciated NAB’s performance and assured the affected people of housing societies and modaraba companies that their looted money would be recovered and returned to them.