The question of NAB

For months, there has been controversy over the manner in which NAB is carrying out the accountability which the current government had put forward as a primary agenda. One politician after the other, all belonging to opposition benches, is being released on bail by the courts after long stints in NAB custody and in jail. The two latest leaders to be released are former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and ex-federal minister Ahsan Iqbal. There have been others in the recent past. Both men – like those before them – narrate a similar story of being held for a prolonged period of time but not even questioned about the crimes they are alleged to have committed.

In its defence, NAB has said inquiries were indeed conducted and the facts given by those in custody are on record. In December last year the chairman of NAB had said that the direction of inquiry was about to change, indicating that members of the PTI may now come under similar scrutiny. However, weeks later for reasons that are not clear he said he had been obliged to make the statement but that NAB would go ahead with its mission to oust corrupt practices.

The problem is with transparency. We as citizens do not know the facts, the outcomes of the inquiries or the procedures followed by NAB. Already the European Union has raised some concern over the apparent duality in standards when it comes to the investigation of politicians. This is essentially a disaster for the accountability process in the country. Unless people have full faith in the accountability bodies under a good intention in carrying out arrests, detentions, investigations and other measures there will always be doubt about the process. In the past the conversion of accountability into a method of vendetta had badly damaged the efforts to create a clean, ethical political environment in which things are not hidden. The steps being taken by NAB are constantly defended by its chairman and other office-bearers. But these statements will not help change the impression that NAB's actions need far more transparency than they have at the moment. A proper process of accountability must be visible to all, must be directed against all who hold influence and must not be tarnished by the impression that specific individuals are being victimized for any reason.