‘Appearance before NAB is PM’s respect not insult’

LAHORE: Chairman National Accountability Bureau Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal on Thursday said if opposition leader in National Assembly (Shahbaz Sharif) could face the NAB investigation, then why premier (Imran Khan) could not.

Referring to a pending inquiry against Imran Khan regarding helicopter misuse, he said he (PM) did not have immunity from investigations. Commenting on Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry’s remarks that NAB case was an insult to the prime minister, Javed Iqbal said, "People are naive to think that NAB is insulting the premier.

“In fact, the case against Premier Imran Khan shows the supremacy of law in Pakistan, and it has increased the honour of the prime minister.” Moreover, the slogan of ‘Accountability for all’ was raised by premier Imran Khan, the chairman added.

The NAB chairman expressed these views while addressing a cheque distribution ceremony among the affectees of the Ferozpur City housing society at bureau’s Lahore office. NAB did the biggest plea bargain of its history of Rs2.22 billion in the Ferozpur City Housing Society scam. The chairman distributed Rs590 million among the affectees on Thursday.

The chairman said it was the top priority of NAB to take the cases of mega corruption to their logical end. The NAB did not believe in vindication and he had ordered bureau’s officers strictly to take care of self-respect of the persons who are visiting NAB offices regarding inquiries and investigations against them, the chairman added. He stressed that under the law, NAB had an ultimate commitment to bring back the looted money from the corrupt.

NAB would not be part of any NRO in any form, Javed Iqbal assured. The chairman said that all politicians, whether they belonged to the opposition or the incumbent government stood equal before the bureau. He said the bureau was not under pressure of the government and the decisions of the bureau were independent.

NAB did not belong to any group or govt, but Pakistan, and it would not succumb to any pressure. He said NAB deposited a whooping amount of Rs297 billion in the national kitty after getting it recovered from the corrupt.

He said it was unfair to put together NAB with Mansha Bomb, saying that NAB could be Nitrogen Bomb, which is working to eradicate corruption from society, but could not be a Mansha Bomb. The chairman appreciated NAB Lahore’s performance, saying that the Lahore office under the leadership of its DG, was playing a key role in resolving mega corruption cases.

He said that corruption was mother of all evils and the bureau’s officers were working day and night in fighting this evil and the results are evident from bureau’s performance. Now the world is accepting that Pakistan is serious and striving to end corruption, the chairman concluded.