Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The Prime Minister’s Adviser on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar has said that the government is ready to sit with the opposition for dialogue but only regarding issues of public interest.
Addressing Monday’s Senate session, the Adviser said the government can think of amending NAB laws in the best interest of the public, not safeguarding any individual’s corruption.
Shahzad Akbar said Pakistan’s accountability regime is in line with international democracies and it is bound to have an accountability bureau under the United Nations’ Convention on corruption. Latest rulings of FATF also suggest making anti-corruption laws more stringent.
Rejecting the opposition’s accusation of political victimization in NAB cases, he said that most of the cases against opposition leaders were registered in their own governments, which vindicates PTI’s stance of non-interference in NAB affairs.
NAB an institution ‘beyond anyone’s control’ says Saleem Mandviwalla
Earlier, Deputy Chairman Senate Saleem Mandviwalla said on Monday that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has turned into an institution which is “beyond anyone’s control.” He added that the Senate and the Parliament should “seek a solution to end this misuse of power.”
Mandviwalla was addressing the Senate’s session on Monday during which he also said that the assets of NAB’s personnel should be checked “because everyone is accountable and no one is above the law.” Mandviwalla maintained that whenever the NAB launches a probe into anyone’s businesses, it provides the information to media outlets to malign the concerned person’s reputation first and starts investigating the matter later.
“I have received more than a hundred complaints against the NAB, all in written form,” he said. “Many federal secretaries also called me to say that they do not wish to work with NAB anymore.”
He added that these are “very serious issues,” and they “must not be taken lightly.”
Shedding light on the “numerous human rights abuses [allegedly] committed by NAB,” Saleem Mandviwalla added that several people have passed away while they were in the bureau’s custody.
“I have had meetings with the families of those who passed away in NAB’s custody and I will meet them again. People who have been imprisoned are writing letters to me to help them get justice,” he said, adding that the former Controller General of Accounts Khurram Humayun committed suicide after telling his family friends that he was really upset after NAB filed a corruption reference against him. He also revealed that PPP senator Sherry Rehman’s ex-husband was forced by NAB to record a statement under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure with reference to section 145 of Evidence Act.
