Acting head of KPEC pledges across-the-board accountability

PESHAWAR: Acting Director General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission (KPEC) Brig (r) Sajjad Ahmad on Thursday stressed the need for across-the-board action against corrupt elements.

Talking to reporters, he said that elimination of corruption was necessary for economic development. He spoke in detail about the performance of the commission and the way it takes action against an accused.

Prosecutor General Justice (r) Syed Yahya Zahid Gillani, Director Information Technology (IT) Akbar Zaman Gandapur, Brig Tariq, Colonel (r) Sardar and Director Finance Abdul Qadeer were also present on the occasion.

Sajjad Ahmad said the commission intimated government officials before taking action against them. He said they also inform speaker of the respective assembly or chairman Senate before moving against any public representative.

Before arresting a person, he said, they collect relevant data, verify facts and move for investigation.  He said that support and cooperation of people was necessary for further improvement of the system. On the basis of public complaints and commission’s internal intelligence system, they have sent 18 references to the court out of the total 1,603 cases, he informed.

About political pressures or government influence, the acting director general said the government had never interfered in their affairs. “This is the reason that action is taken against corrupt elements irrespective of their political affiliation or any other prejudices,” he added. The official said the commission had even taken action against the sitting ministers, which is a proof of the fact that the government has not been interfering in its affairs.

Speaking on the occasion, Justice Syed Yahya Zahid Gillani said that the provincial Ehtesab Commission Act was a complete law formulated by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government.

He also claimed that the commission had been given autonomy and powers, which had never been given in the past under any law. In Ehtesab Commission, an effective system is in place to take action against employees within the body. He said all arrangements and preparations had been completed to follow the cases in the court, for which all evidences had been collected. 

Director Information Technology (IT) Akbar Zaman Gandapur informed that they had completed inquiries on 82 cases and 37 were investigated. He added that they were launching an awareness campaign against corruption, asking the people to approach them in case they had any proofs and evidence against corrupt elements.

He said fair accountability could not be ensured without the active support and cooperation of public. He assured the people that their names would be kept secret. He said that sometimes rumours were spread to give an impression that there is some tussle between the commission and bureaucracy. He also asked the media to verify the facts before airing them.