Pakistan

RMC girls’ hostel: NAB given the final push

Letter from cabinet division directs the bureau to shift to the office of a devolving ministry.

Express April 22, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday received formal orders from the prime minister (PM) to evacuate the Rawalpindi Medical College (RMC) girls’ hostel. A letter which was sent by the cabinet division on behalf of the PM asked NAB to immediately the clear the building, which is “illegally being used by them”.

Moreover NAB officials have also been given a go-ahead to shift their office to the building of Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education in sector G-8/4 in Islamabad.

Faizullah Khan, Director Investigation NAB, said, “We just got the approval to take the possession of the building, which is vacant after the devolution of the ministry.”

Khan said they would start shifting there within a day and the entire process is expected to be completed within a week.

Responding to a question, he said, “It was alleged that we were not responding to the requests made by the Young Doctors Association (YDA) for the evacuation of the building. However this is not true.”

Khan said that NAB had been looking for a suitable building to shift its office for the past nine years.

There are 333 people working in the NAB building currently situated in the girls’ hostel, Khan said. To accommodate them they needed a place with 100 rooms, he added. “We also require rooms to keep sensitive documents.”

The building must also be secure enough to arrange
for adequate security for special guests visiting the office, he added.

“As for the charges of illegally occupancy, the structure was lying vacant for the past nine or ten years. Before we took over it, the place was serving as a den of drug addicts and criminal acts,” he said, adding that the commissioner at the time allotted the building to NAB through the provincial government.

An YDA Rawalpindi representative termed the development as a “victory” and an end to a nine-year-long struggle.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2011.

COMMENTS (1)

Farhan Khan Virk | 13 years ago | Reply Really a shame on so called National Accountability Bureau. Young female dr's of Pakistan getting entangled in small rooms with no proper ventilation and they're supposed to save the upcoming generation of Pakistan with their knowledge and skills. Prime Minister has certainly done a great job but a lot has to be done to ensure complete evacuation of the girls hostels! PM must ensure NAB's evacuation within this week.

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