NAB: A anti-corruption safety valve
NATIONAL Accountability Bureau (NAB) acts like a safety valve against corruption and always holds an impartial, genuine, accurate and transparent legal proceedings against all corrupts.
Fortunately, corrupt status-quo of land mafia, dishonest bureaucrats, greedy politicians, business tycoons, clergy and influential movers and shakers have now been dismantled and the NAB has successfully strived towards achieving zero-corruption level in the country. Although it is a gigantic task but first giant step has been taken by the NAB.
Unfortunately, despite great potential Pakistan has remained a graveyard of development projects in which corruption played an important role.
Humanity has been sieged because of widespread corruption and national funds have been doled out and laundered in safe heavens in different countries.
FATA indecisiveness and decline in the foreign direct investment have correlation with corruption in the country in the past.
PTI government under the premiership of Imran Khan has initiated diversified but integrated policy measures to eradicate corruption from the governance and society and actually depoliticized all departments in the country.
It has empowered the NAB to pursue true spirits of accountability in Pakistan due to which many sacred cows are now grassing in jails.
The Bureau has secured the highest ratio of recoveries from different segments of the society and sectors of economy.
NAB has now become icon of total transparency, accountability, trust, efficiency and, above all, true professionalism in which personal glory, affiliation and manoeuvring does not exist anymore.
Right from the beginning human evolution’s journey towards revolution and modern civilization has been heavily relied on the easy and smooth availability of justice, accountability and transparency and corruption-free society.
Rule of law had been a salient feature of splendid Greeks, Romans, Persian and even Muslims but, unfortunately, due to undue lust for power, loot, greediness and distraction from the true teachings of Holy Quran and the Last Prophet (PBUH) produced havocs in Muslim world.
Now NAB has shackled all chains of corruption and gives hope of a “shining Pakistan” in the days to come.
Islam prohibits corruption because corruption is the mother of all evils. It has multiplier socio-economic and geopolitical damaging and destructive effects in the country.
It has rigged political system and level of governance due to which weaker factions and sections of society are living as wandering souls with very little hope of seeking justice.
Political goons, junta of land mafia and devils & devis have been sitting on the peaks of mountains of corruption for so many years untouched, unnoticed, unanswered and unaccounted.
For the first time NAB has arrested numerous dark evil entities and personalities red-handed and punished. It is indeed a great moral victory for the NAB.
Corruption has been acting like a human abuse in the country in which elite junta has been looting national treasuries with no mercy due to which common people, general health, schooling, clean drinking water, basic human rights and basic necessities of life have been decomposed and destroyed.
Luckily, NAB has become a ray of hope in darkness, injustice, malpractice, corruption, embezzlement, fudging of funds, decay of judicial system and, above all, untamed official discretions in the country.
Caravans of genuine accountability, social justice and speedy recovery are on the fast-track under the visionary Chairman Justice (R) Javed Iqbal and prosecutor General Syed Asghar Haider.
Ideal combination of Total Qualitative Control Management (TQM) Crisis Management (CM) and Good Governance (GG) at horizontal and vertical spheres in the NAB has revolutionized its professional persuasions against corrupt mafias.
Corruption has a complex and complicated unbroken chain which acts like a termite. The Bureau was established in 1999 to cope with the menace of corruption.
Besides bringing corrupt elements to justice, it was tasked with recovering the looted amount, and then either returning it to the affected or depositing it in the national exchequer.
NAB Chairman Justice (R) Javed Iqbal has developed an excellent system of anti-corruption strategy.
NAB during 2019, received a total of 53,643 complaints during 2019. Of which 42,760 were taken to logical conclusions.
The Bureau has so far recovered Rs363 billion directly or indirectly. The recovered record amount has been deposited in the national exchequer.
A total of 97 mega corruption references were under-trial from out of 179 mega corruption references filed in different accountability courts. Some 57 such references have been concluded as per law.
A total of 10 inquiries, 15 investigations are under trial from out of a total of 179 mega corruption references filed by the anti-graft watchdog.
Despite character assassination NAB officers have no affiliation with any group, individual or party but only with State of Pakistan.
The performance of NAB under the leadership of Javed Iqbal and prosecutor General Syed Asghar Haider has been lauded by reputed World Economic Forum, Pildat, Transparency International, Mishaal Pakistan.
According to Gallup survey 59 percent Pakistanis have expressed satisfaction over NAB’s performance.
Most recently, the NAB released its three-year performance report, showing a total recovery of Rs487 billion.
The highest recovery and best performance was shown by the Bureau’s office for Rawalpindi region.
Of the total Rs487bn, the Rawalpindi NAB recovered Rs290bn, showing the best performance among all seven regional offices of the anti-graft watchdog during the last period under review.
It was followed by Karachi, which managed to recover the plundered wealth of Rs93.17bn.
Lahore NAB recovered Rs72.2bn, Sukkur Rs26.16bn, Multan Rs4.10bn, Balochistan Rs1.81bn and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa NAB Rs733.3 ¬million.
The total recovery of NAB, since its inception in 1999, is said to be Rs714bn.
Very recently, NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal said that one of NAB’s major achievements since its inception was the recovery of around Rs714bn directly and indirectly which was a remarkable achievement as compared to other anti-corruption organisations with an overall conviction ratio of 68.8 per cent.
Consolidation of corruption free society, system, schemes and sentiments are directly correlated with the high performance of the NAB.
The genie of corruption has genocided the society and created widespread polarization.
NAB is now the guarantor of corruption-free society in the country.
Battle of survival has entered into important point in which two opposite forces are colliding for ultimate supremacy in which National Accountability Bureau under the chairmanship of Justice (R) Javed Iqbal and legal therapy of prosecutor General Syed Asghar Haider would play a trump card.
—The writer is Director, Geopolitics/Economics Member Board of Experts, CGSS.
