NAB chairman should be appointed by judiciary: Siraj

KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Ameer Senator Sirajul Haq on Monday reiterated his demand that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s chairman should be appointed by the superior judiciary.

He was addressing a crowded press conference at JI Karachi headquarters Idara Noor-e-Haq. Speaking on the occasion he suggested that the Chief Justice of Pakistan and Chief Justices of all high courts should be given powers to appoint the chairman of NAB.

Sirajul Haq was of the view that instead of ensuring accountability the NAB played the role of a facilitator for corruption and corrupt elements. He said that recently a chairman of the bureau has been sacked on corruption charges while the next chairman is yet to be appointed. He said that it is the right time for both the government and the leader of the opposition to show some dignity and handover the powers of appointing a NAB chief to the superior judiciary.

He said the NAB should be an unbiased institution free from the influence of politicians. He was of the view that the major reason behind the failure of NAB in delivering justice was that its chief is appointed by the politicians. That is why the NAB always spared influential people and caught small fishes, he added.

The JI supremo said the JI will continue its campaign against corruption and corrupt elements. He once again reiterated his demand to hold all those accountable whose names were enlisted in Panamagate. He maintained that though a prime minister has been de-seated but the accountability of 436 people is still in pending. Not only politicians and businessmen but judges and bureaucrats were also nominated in the Panamagate. We want the supremacy of law, merit and the Constitution of the country, he remarked.

Talking about the issues of Karachi he said the city has badly been neglected. Once there was an issue of the shortage of water but now the contaminated water has emerged as a much more grave issue. He recalled that out of 118 samples of tap water from across the city 88 were not fit for human consumption. He said the situation is alarming and a matter of concern even in connection with our future generations. The issue should be taken up on all the three levels of local, provincial and federal government, he stressed. The JI leader further said that for more than 16 months the local government is yet to deliver on its promises. He lambasted both the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pakistan People’s Party for doing nothing except playing a blame game despite enjoying local and provincial governments.