NAB’s operations division strengthened

Chaudhry stresses importance of teamwork

ISLAMABAD: To enhance its anti-corruption efforts, the National Accountability Bureau has strengthened its operations, division.

During a meeting to review the performance of the division at the NAB headquarters, the bureau’s chief Qamar Zaman Chaudhry said that most of the decisions had been implemented in letter and spirit.

The NAB chief stressed the importance of teamwork.

Further, he said that the division has been strengthened to evolve a strong mechanism for nabbing the corrupt. Efforts have been made to boost the morale of NAB officials with officers being sent on professional courses and training leading to better efficiency.

The NAB chief said that a performance review would provide an opportunity to further improve their performance and shortcomings, if any, and overcome them to discharge their national duty while devising a future course of action to eradicate corruption.

Chaudhry noted that corruption was the root of all evils and that they believe in eradicating corruption with iron hands by using all available resources.

He added that eradication of corruption was the top priority of the anti-corruption watchdog by adopting a zero-tolerance policy across the board. Moreover, he said that the incumbent management of the body was working to put NAB back on track.

After a thorough and comprehensive analysis of deficiencies in the structure and operations of the organisation,

“A reform and restructuring programme had been put in place which not only extended a new lease of life for the organisation but also infused it with a new character; a character marked by fairness, objectivity, professionalism and transparency,” Chaudhry said.

Measures such as the introduction of Combined Investigation Team (CIT), review of standard operating procedures (SOPs) making them relevant to the current times, clearly defined job descriptions, rational timelines for completing inquiries and investigations, capacity building training tailored to specific job requirements and rationalisation of workload have started yielding results.

An objective appraisal system — partly quantified grading system — and the internal accountability mechanism (IAM) has improved quality of the output considerably.

Meanwhile, the tempo and momentum generated in 2014 have been sustained.

Further, the NAB chief said that they had established two new regions in Multan and Sukkur while systems have been automated and a computerised monitoring and evaluation system (MES) has been introduced in NAB Headquarters and all regional bureaus.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2017.