Mustafa Kamal says sorry to NAB after probe threat

KARACHI: Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairman Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday tendered an apology to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) hours after the corruption watchdog announced that it would not only take the former Karachi mayor to court over his incendiary remarks, but also investigate development projects undertaken during his term.

In a statement, the PSP chief said he apologises to the bureau if his comments had hurt the institution and its officers.

Earlier in the day, NAB announced that it would send a legal notice to Mustafa Kamal for using inappropriate and derogatory language against the institution.

NAB in its statement said, “NAB will approach the court for legal action against Mustafa Kamal.”

It further said that the PSP chairman needs to apologise over his rude remarks regarding the institution.

The statement further added that NAB will investigate the amount of Rs300 billion that was to be used for development work in Karachi. “Despite the allocation of this colossal amount for development in the city, the metropolis’s is still facing a number of very basic issues. If this amount was actually spent on the development of the city then what projects were the money spent on and whether the projects were completed or not.”

“NAB is a national institution which is working to eliminate corruption from the country. A person who is the former mayor of Karachi, against whom there are already corruption references by NAB, should not be using improper language against NAB and its officers. NAB strongly condemns this action. NAB recommended the former Karachi mayor that, instead of wasting strength to criticise NAB and its officials, he should use that energy to defend himself against the references filed against him,” the statement added.