NAB approves five references, nine inquiries, 22 investigations

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sprang into action against the top politicians of the two major opposition parties -- PML-N and PPP -- and top serving and retired bureaucrats besides administration of the top private housing societies on Wednesday by approving five references, nine inquiries and 22 investigations.

The top politicians who came under the radar of the NAB include ex-railway minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, ex-finance minister Ishaq Dar, ex-chief minister Balochistan Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, ex-chief minister Punjab and ex-federal minister Manzoor Wattoo, ex-provincial minister Sindh Manzoor Wassan and officials of the Ehtesab Commission of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The executive board of the NAB held its meeting with Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal in the chair here on Monday, which approved 17 inquires, two investigations and filing of four corruption references.

The executive board of the NAB gave a clean chit to Adviser to Prime Minister Shahzad Arbab, ex-secretary export policy FBR Imran Ahmed Chaudhry, officers and officials of Customs Collectorate Peshawar and clearing agents of Fata, by closing inquiries against them.

The executive board gave approval to conduct inquiries against Sanaullah Zehri, Khawaja Saad Rafique and officials of the Ministry of Railways, Deputy Auditor General Ghulam Muhammad Memon, Manzoor Wassan and his nephew ex-MNA Nawab Ali Wassan, ex-MNA Iftikhar Gilani and officials of the Ehtesab Commission of KP.

The NAB also approved 22 investigations that include Ishaq Dar, ex-minister of state for information technology Anusha Rehman, ex-chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Dr Ismail Shah, ex-member PTA Abdul Samad, ex-member PTA Tariq Sultan, ex-DG PTA Rizwan Ahmed, director PTA Amjad Mustafa Malik, ex-DGA PTA Wasim Tariq and M/s Warid Telcom.

Investigation was also approved against the administration of Paragon City Lahore, Saad Rafique, ex-provincial minister Punjab Khawaja Salman Rafique, Naeem Zia, Qaisar Amin Butt, ex-chairman CDA Kamran Lashari, ex-member finance Kamran Ali Khan Qureshi, ex-member admin Shaukat Ali, ex-member estate CDA Asad Munir, ex-member environment CDA Mazhar Hussain, ex-member engineering and planning CDA Moeenudin Kakakhel, DG CDA Ghulam Sarwar Sindhu, ex-director land CDA Munir Jilani and MD of M/s DTS Muhammad Hussain.

The NAB executive board also approved investigations against Raja Muhammad Zarat Khan of Creek Marina project, Karachi, M/s Haroon Pasha Group of companies, ex-DGA PDA Sareer Muhammad, ex-GM PDA Mehmood Tariq, Director General Health Services, Department of Health of KP and officials of the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Peshawar.

The NAB did not indicate the reasons of investigations and inquires conducted against the politicians and bureaucrats and said the details of the investigations would be conveyed as per the directives of Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The executive board approved filing of corruption reference against ex-chairman Lahore Parking Company Ltd Hafiz Mian Muhammad Nauman, ex-chief executive Lahore Parking Company Ltd Taseer Ahmad and ex-chief financial officer/MD Usman Qayyum for allegedly misusing authority and misappropriations of funds that caused a loss of over Rs80 million to national exchequer.

The NAB also approved filing of corruption reference against ex-secretary R&S, EP Board of Revenue, Sindh, Gul Hassan Channa, ex-MD Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Iftikhar Ahmad, Syed Umar Ahmad, Sarfraz Marchant, Shahid Rasool, Syed Muhammad Mujtaba, Mirza Afzal Baig, Owais Mirza Jameel and Farid Surriya for allegedly misusing authority for illegal allotment of 769 acres of land to favourites that caused a loss of over Rs484 million to national exchequer.

The NAB also approved corruption reference against ex-MD Pakistan State Oil Naeem Yahya, senior GM PSO Syed Nazeer Ahmed Zaidi, ex-senior GM PSO Zulfiqar Ali Jaffery, ex-GM PSO Akhtar Zaheer, ex-DG Oil Sabir Hussain, chief operating officer Byco Pakistan Petroleum Ltd Kamran Iftikhar Lari, CEO of Byco Pakistan Petroleum Ltd Amir Abbasi, president Refineries M/s Byco Pakistan Petroleum Ltd Qaisar Jamal for allegedly misusing authority for agreement of purchasing of oil with M/s Byco Oil Pakistan Ltd in violation of rules that caused a loss of over Rs23 billion to national exchequer.

Another approval was given to file a corruption reference against Administrator Taluka Ghari Khero, District Jacobabad, Abdul Hameed Pathan, Engineer TMA Taluka Ghari Khero district Jacobabad, Shahzad Khokhar and other officials for allegedly misusing authority and misappropriations in the government funds that caused a loss of over Rs200 million to national exchequer.

The executive board approved filing corruption reference against former chief engineer Sukkur Barrage Left Bank region Ahmed Junaid Memon, former chief engineer Sukkur Barrage Saeed Ahmed, former superintendent engineer Amjad Ahmed, former executive engineer Syed Husnain Haider, assistant executive engineer, Shahzad Ali, chief executive/director Sardar Muhammad Ashraf Baloch and company for alleged corruption in various government schemes, thus causing Rs660 million losses to national kitty.

On the conclusion of the executive board meeting, Chairman Justice Javed Iqbal said the NAB’s priority was to take mega corruption cases to logical conclusion. He said the NAB was vigorously pursuing the policy of ‘Accountability for All’. He said the NAB not only considers elimination of corruption as its national responsibility but also striving hard to make the country corruption free. He directed the staff to complete inquiries, investigations and corruption cases as per the law and in transparent way. He warned strict action against the officials showing lackadaisical approach in concluding corruption cases.