NLC scam case against three generals pending

ISLAMABAD: If corruption cases against politicians are pending with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for years, the inquiry of three retired generals implicated in the mega NLC scam of billions of rupees has not been concluded in seven years.
While the NAB keeps sending reminders to the General Headquarters (GHQ) to know whether the inquiry has been completed and the promised court martial commenced, there is no response.
The Public Accounts (PAC) that had vowed not to make public its findings in the NLC case until GHQ concludes its findings is also waiting to hear back from Rawalpindi. Secretary Planning Division Hassan Nawaz Tarar confirmed to The News that the case has not been concluded. “Final report has not been received yet,” he said. The army-run NLC falls under the administrative control of the Planning Division with the secretary being its principle accounting officer. “They (GHQ) will share the outcome once the process is concluded,” Tarar said.
NAB’s inquiry into the NLC case was withheld as GHQ said it would recall the accused generals into service for conducting their court martial; the trial has not started yet. The officials in NAB and the Planning Division privy to the development said the case has not moved beyond the inquiry stage.The Planning Division is playing the role of a post office between NAB and GHQ. While NAB writes to the Planning Division for update on the case, the letter is forwarded to GHQ for reply.
The accused in this corruption case are two retired lieutenant generals (Khalid Munir Khan and Afzal Muzzafar), one retired major general (Khalid Zaheer Akhtar) and two civilian officials (Najibur Rehman and Saeedur Rehman). Only the names of the two civilians are on ECL.
The scandal had come to public notice in 2009 when Chaudhry Nisar-led PAC took up the audit objections in the 2004-2008 audit of NLC raised by the Auditor General of Pakistan. Top management of the NLC had borrowed huge sums from the commercial banks on high interest rates and invested in the stock exchange in complete violation of the government rules. Pensioners’ money was also used for the purpose. They invested over Rs4 billion in the stock and incurred a loss of Rs1.8 billion.
The PAC has ordered an inquiry that was initially carried out by a senior army officer in 2010 that was followed by another and the report was submitted to the then-army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani in February 2011. The inquiry held the five accused responsible for the losses.
General Kayani also ordered an inquiry into the matter, the report of which was submitted to him in February 2011.As the matter was taken up by PAC, the army sought time for holding another inquiry and subsequent court martial. The accused were ordered to record the evidence in September 2011 that was to follow the formal indictment.
Army chief recalled two (out of three) accused generals into service for their court martial. This was the first time any general was recalled to face a corruption case. Such a recalled accused has to be tried within 32 days, according to Pakistan Army Act (PAA) 1952. When a retired officer is recalled for trial, he is put under detention.
In the case under question, they were recalled into service but then released on bail instead of being put under detention for completing the proceeding within 32 days as prescribed in PAA 1952.