Sharif demands NAB chairman's apology, resignation

Former PM says laws made by dictators should go

PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is a national institution, working for the benefit of the country and it will bluntly use all its assigned legal powers, Chairman NAB Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal said on Thursday.

NAB, he said, had no political agenda and had nothing to do with elections. Its job, he explained, was to eradicate corruption and it would continue its work.

Only a select group of media persons had been invited to the cheque distribution ceremony, but video clips and a press statement were later released.

He said, “NAB does not need to offer any explanation. No matter who is insulting us, NAB will exercise its powers.”

People who think they are beyond reproach are wrong,” he said.

According to him, anyone can be prosecuted for wrongdoing, he insisted.



“I am happy to visit Peshawar to return the money looted from poor people,” he said, adding that every province had its own version of scammers such as ‘Double Shah’.

Departments concerned, including local government and registrars of cooperative societies, should play their role to curb such dubious schemes.

“People must also carefully invest in such schemes,” he said.

“Let me tell you that the bureaucracy is faithful…to the state. Governments come and go but every step of the bureaucracy must be in the national interest. If you are working sincerely, NAB is with you. All your actions must support the state instead of the governments,” he said.

He said that NAB was not against anyone particular and it was a patriotic institution.



“Our country has to repay $84 billion in debts and we can’t see where the money was spent. No one should take it personally if we ask anyone, including bureaucracy and politicians, how this money was used. If you are implicated and an inquiry is launched by NAB, you will become neat and clean forever and rumours would die out. Under the law, NAB is authorised to verify all complaints. General public, bureaucrats, politicians and government officials must not be sensitive about this. NAB requires your cooperation. We have no political agenda and nothing to do with the elections. We have to determine if there is even an iota of corruption. Those involved will not be spared,” he said.

“If NAB summons someone, it must not be considered as if he had been called by Javed Iqbal. The summons is from a government entity. Those who are summoned are treated well. They are asked if they are involved in corruption…and who actually perpetrated it. Is it a sin if NAB questions people about corruption? Corruption cannot be tolerated any longer. I don’t care if anyone considers questioning about corruption to be a sin,” he said.