People refuse to tolerate corruption, says NAB chief

Qamar Zaman says corruption triggers chain reaction that leads to injustice, mistrust

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is determined to make Pakistan corruption free, the head of country’s top anti-graft body said.

Citizens of Pakistan refuse to tolerate corruption, NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry said according to a press release on Tuesday. “I call upon every single member of society to make an effort by setting our personal, professional and official conduct above any type of influence and prejudice,” he said while addressing the officers during his visit to NAB Karachi Regional Bureau.

NAB that has recovered Rs276 billion since its inception, has been rejuvenated. He said that corruption is not only a vice in its own right but it also triggers a chain of reaction and leads to injustice and mistrust. “Our Father of the Nation Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan said that one of the biggest curses is bribery and corruption. That really is a poison. We must put it down with an iron hand.”

Qamar Zaman said that NAB was established to fight and eradicate corruption in a holistic and integrated manner. This is the backdrop against which NAB is striving to accomplish its mission to rid the nation of corruption and corrupt practices.

The bureau’s personnel need to follow a strict code of conduct and zero tolerance policy against eradication of corruption, Qamar Zaman added.

He said that starting with the year 2014 which can be called basically a year of reinvigoration of NAB, “we have moved with new zeal and effort.”

He said that operations, prosecution, human resource development and awareness and prevention have been reactivated. Organogram was revisited to transform NAB into a lean, efficient, and responsive organisation.

He urged all segments of society to join hands with NAB in its country-wide campaign launched for awareness about eradication of corruption by saying “say no to corruption”.

At the end, Chairman NAB, appreciated the performance of NAB Karachi under the supervision of DG NAB Karachi Col (Retd) Sirajul Naeem.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2016.