–NAB chief says four-member committee formed to discuss issues faced by business community
–Iqbal says FBR and banking courts to deal with income tax and default cases, respectively
–Says never expressed desire to be given Saudi-style power
LAHORE: Days after businessmen approached the army chief and the prime minister with their complaints against the accountability watchdog, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chief Javed Iqbal said the allegations leveled by the business community were “completely baseless”.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Iqbal said a four-member committee has been formed as an “advisory” institution that would discuss the problems of the business community and find solutions to them.
“I want to clarify that the formation of a committee doesn’t mean that NAB is not an independent institution or that NAB is subservient,” he added.
In an assurance to the businessmen, he said: “No NAB official would telephone any businessmen; if necessary a NAB director-general would send notice… In case of an unsatisfactory reply, the businessmen would not be summoned but a questionnaire will be sent. If the response to the questionnaire remained unsatisfactory, the particular person would be summoned.”
The NAB chief said the business community’s income and sales tax-related cases would be referred to the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) and that NAB would not take suo moto action against defaulters.
“NAB acts in such cases only after the State Bank request under clause 31-D,” he said, adding the action starts after the failure of a settlement between the client and the bank.
He said that “NAB has never taken unilateral action on bank default cases and that normally such cases were sent to banking courts”.
Speaking about the recent complaints concerning NAB high-handedness, he said he was shocked to learn that one individual, who had praised NAB in a letter to the chairman, had expressed his reservations about NAB in a meeting with the army chief.
Iqbal said that he would not name the businessman as he didn’t want to affect anyone’s image, but said that if the individual had reservations he should have shared them with the bureau.
The NAB chairman added that not just one business tycoon, but at least three, had written letters to the bureau in which they praised it.
A delegation of at least 20 businessmen, comprising heads of various private companies, had called on General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters to inform the top general of the economic crisis being faced by the country.
“The meetings with the army chief was aimed at addressing the burning issues being faced by the business community and the uncertainty, lack of clarity in government policies, negative growth in large scale manufacturing were the key issues to be discussed.
Addressing the businessmen at the concluding session of a series of discussions and seminars titled ‘Interplay of economy and security’ on Wednesday, Gen Bajwa had said that the aim of discussion with them was to create a better understanding, according to a statement issued by the army.
“National security is intimately linked to the economy while prosperity is a function of balance in security needs and economic growth,” he had said, assuring the businessmen of full support.
About the state of fear among the civil servants, the NAB chairman said that if bureaucracy worked within the law, sticking to the PPRA and Rules of Business, then NAB would have no problem at all.
The NAB chief also clarified comments attributed to him about his reported desire for Saudi-style powers to eradicate corruption. Iqbal said that it would be a “very strange request” to ask for authority that is only possible in a monarchy.
“NAB has never expressed a desire to be given Saudi style power.”
