Info minister says PML-N has nothing to fear from NAB

Minister for Information Senator Pervez Rashid Thursday said even the worst opponents of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) could not point finger towards the conduct of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and ministers for the projects undertaken during their tenures.

Talking to Pakistan Today Editor Arif Nizami on his talkshow DNA on Channel 24, Rashid said the process of accountability was essential for society, adding that the government had nothing to fear as no case was initiated against the PML-N government.

“No case was prosecuted against the government even during the tenure of Pervez Musharraf,” he said.

He said National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was initiating enquiries even into ongoing projects just on the basis of “doubts and rumours”.

He said during his visit to Bahawalpur, the PM talked about regulatory bodies of NEPRA, OGRA and NAB and described the difficulties that the government was facing in achieving goals for progress. In the same statement, the PM had said that actions of NAB caused delay in the execution of energy projects, he added.

The minister said during his tenure in 1993, the PM initiated projects worth billions of rupees and the same was done in the second tenure of 1997 and in the present tenure. The projects started in the last two and half years were more than those undertaken in the last 25 years, he mentioned.

Accountability should begin when there is enough evidence in a case for successful trial in courts, he stressed. “There are reservations but we never said the process of accountability should be stopped.”

Replying to a question, he said any legislation on the process of accountability should be done with the consensus of political forces.

To a question, the minister said the main achievement of the government after coming into power in 2013, was that it gave hope to the people who were concerned for future of the country.