Parliament can amend NAB, FBR, FIA laws

Punjab governor says govt committed to making institutions independent, impartial

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar on Saturday said the parliament was authorised to amend the laws of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) if these were flawed, stressing all institutions were working independently.

Talking to the media at a ceremony to give away 1,200 blankets to shelter homes at the Governor House, he said the accountability drive was impartial and that the government was unaware who the anti-corruption watchdog would apprehend next.



He said the government was committed to strengthening institutions for the sake of transparent accountability, and that it did not exert any political pressure on the institutions. He said the PTI leaders like Azam Swati, Aleem Khan and Babar Awan had set a new precedent by resigning from their portfolios over corruption allegations.

On the growing tensions between India and Pakistan, Sarwar said New Delhi should not take Islamabad’s offer for dialogue as a weakness, adding that Pakistan would retaliate forcefully in case of Indian aggression. He said the government wanted friendly relations with neighbours on parity.

He pointed out that India had been threatening with water terrorism, adding that it would be illegal if India diverted the water supply under the Indus Water Treaty and international laws. However, he urged the United Nations and other international bodies to take notice of Indian threats.

On the Pulwama attack, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan had asked India to provide actionable intelligence and evidence for investigation but India had not obliged since as the allegations were baseless. He added that India could submit these evidences to the international community or the UN as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2019.