No need to expand NAB’s jurisdiction to judiciary, army: Shahbaz

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday said instead of expanding the jurisdiction of NAB to superior judiciary and army, reforms should be introduced to improve performance of the anti-graft body to eliminate corruption from the country.

In a statement, the chief minister said the NAB should operate with honesty and beyond likes and dislikes. “Institutions like judiciary and army have their own systems and methods of accountability that can be improved to meet needs of the time,” he added. Shahbaz said he could not refrain from expressing his displeasure over the hypocrisy of some political parties over the proposal of enhancing   jurisdiction the NAB.

He said the country had suffered irreparable loss due to the evil of corruption and a credible system of accountability was required to uproot menace of corruption for the stability of Pakistan. Shahbaz said the current condition and the past history of the NAB was a witness to the fact that the institution had failed to carry out accountability of the corrupt elements. 

On the other hand, senior PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar met Shahbaz and discussed the political situation of the country. The chief minister said the PML-N government had always given priority to development of the country and called for making joint efforts for unity, progress and peace.

Separately, the chief minister said the destination of a developed, prosperous, peaceful and bright Pakistan was near, adding that extraordinary efforts had been made for the last over four years to resolve challenges facing the country. He expressed these views as Jamiat-e-Ahle-Hadith chief Senator Prof Sajid Mir called on him. Both sides discussed matters of mutual interest and the current situation of the country. On the occasion, Shahbaz stressed the need for promoting brotherhood, tolerance and mutual respect in the society.

Also on Saturday, Turkey’s
Albayrak Group Chairman Ahmet Albayrak called on Shahbaz Sharif and expressed interest in investing in health, housing and energy sectors. Albayrak praised Shahbaz for his selfless service to the people of Punjab and said he had no parallel in completing energy projects before deadline. The chief minister was playing an effective role in further promoting Turkey-Pakistan ties, he added. Shahbaz said timeless friendship of Pakistan and Turkey was converting into a profitable investment opportunity, adding that Turkey made unparalleled progress under the leadership Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He said healthcare model of Turkey was the best in the world and “we are benefiting from this model to its maximum”.

Meanwhile, the chief minister, in his message on International Day of Rural Women, said the purpose of celebrating the day was to highlight role of rural women, acknowledge their services and create awareness about their rights. He said media should play an effective role in creating awareness about rights of rural women. “This day teaches us to respect role of rural women in economy and resolve that we will make every effort to ensure rights of rural women.”

On the other hand, Shahbaz said he was personally monitoring the work on development projects in southern Punjab and those talking about the poor condition of the region did nothing to resolve the people’s problems there when they were ruling them. He was talking Federal Minister Sardar Awais Ahmed Leghari who called on to him to discuss ongoing development projects in southern Punjab.