Senate session: Hold across-the-board accountability, NAB asked

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Muhammad Azam Swati called upon the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (R) Javed Iqbal Monday in the Senate to hold across the board accountability, as the government was being defamed because of him.

Winding up debate in the House on political victimisation, denial of fundamental rights and revocation of citizenship of ex-senator Hafiz Hamdullah, the minister emphasised the government fully supported across the board accountability.

He contended if there were lacunas in the NAB law, let government and the opposition sit together to deal with them. “Javed Iqbal Sahab use the powers, given by the law and Parliament and spare none, who has been indulging in corruption,” he asserted. Referring to PPP and PML-N, he said that those, who had been archrivals in the past and had been slamming one another, were today united not to let accountability process continue, hurt the Kashmir issue and promote Modi’s narrative.

“They will all be held accountable before the nation. There was a major case against a judge, but due to weak prosecution, the matter could not be taken to its logical conclusion. Justice Javed Iqbal sahib the prosecution will have to be strengthened,” he argued. Peeping into the past, the minister said that the ‘acts of Saifur Rehman were part of history and that actual was political victimisation. He added who were politically nurtured by General Jilani were today talking about political victimisation.

He disputed with opposition senators that PTI leader Jahangir Tareen was not subjected to accountability and said that Saqib Nisar had tried to come at par with Imran Khan in stature and facts were twisted to punish him, who had provided full money trail. “Many of our ministers are in jail and what we did to our 20 lawmakers after Senate polls is before all,” he said.