NAB fear prevails in Finance, other ministries, says Tarin

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin said on Wednesday that the fear of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prevails in Finance and other ministries.

Speaking in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’, the minister said not only the Petroleum Ministry, but the whole government has to deal with the issue of LNG purchase. He said officials think that if they purchase LNG and then the prices go down, then the NAB will question them. He said it is because of NAB’s fear that officials are not taking timely decisions.

Shaukat Tarin said the State Bank of Pakistan is also dealing in foreign exchange, but NAB did not touch it. He said a professional institution must be established to keep an eye on global commodity prices throughout the year so that Pakistan could get required items at best prices. He said he would not talk much about the NAB this time as previously he got a notice from the accountability body for speaking about this issue. The minister said accountability is a good thing, but the political leadership must sit together to get rid of the unnecessary fear of accountability.