Prime Minister Justice (r) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has an important role to play in stemming corruption in the country.
The prime minister made these observations during a presentation made by the NAB at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat on Monday.
NAB Chairman Admiral (r) Fasih Bokhari said in absolute terms Pakistan had been rated between 2.3 to 2.7 in the International Corruption Perception Index (ICPI) since the introduction of the Index by Transparency in 1995.
“This shows that the level of corruption has remained unchanged in Pakistan irrespective of the nature and dispensation of the government in the country.”
The NAB chairman said in the last five months, NAB had reviewed projects and procurements worth Rs 1.5 trillion at their initial stages leading to prevention of corruption of an estimated amount of Rs 200 billion.
Bokhari said the emphasis of the bureau was now more on measures to prevent corruption which would save it from involving in complex procedures involved in prosecution of corruption cases.
The chairman said the bureau now felt that it should be restructured with a view to strengthening its legal and administrative expertise and economic crimes by allowing it to benefit from resources available in other federal departments.
The NAB chairman also proposed that the Rule of Business might be amended and NAB should be placed under the Cabinet Division. “This will ensure its independence,” he said.
The prime minister issued directions that the proposals put forth by NAB be examined in detail and put up to him at the earliest.
