Govt work suffers due to unreasonable NAB investigations, say cabinet members

Cabinet members resist NAB demand for urea import documents

ISLAMABAD: Some cabinet members have resisted the demand for documents made by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), arguing that the government’s work has suffered from inaction due to unreasonable investigations by the anti-corruption watchdog.

Cabinet members also came up with the suggestion that NAB investigation should be time-bound and it should reach conclusion within a certain time period. It should not be an unending affair which added fuel to the media trial of those who were taking policy decisions in good faith, they said.

The issue was taken up in a recent meeting of the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan. The cabinet was informed that NAB had approached, seeking access to the documents pertaining to urea import in 2012-13 and onwards.

Sources told The Express Tribune that NAB had sought information and supporting documents related to all summaries forwarded by the Ministry of Industries and Production. It also demanded record of National Fertiliser Marketing Limited (NFML) about urea import and the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC)’s decisions since 2012-13.

NAB was also seeking all the summaries prepared by the Ministry of Industries and NFML regarding ECC decisions and information about sale prices of imported urea fixed since 2012-13.

Some cabinet members were of the view that investigations into discussions made at high-level forums and the individual opinion recorded in files would further paralyse government’s work, which was already suffering from inaction due to the “highhandedness of the accountability bureau”.

They emphasised that cabinet decisions showed collective wisdom of the forum and therefore they should not be opened to judgement by NAB or any other institution.

“Criminalisation of policymaking will not go down well with the cabinet,” they said, adding that decisions of the cabinet and cabinet committees on any matter may, however, be provided to NAB, if asked for. Cabinet members stressed that NAB probe should be time-bound and should not be an unending affair, which could add fuel to the media trial of those who took policy decisions in good faith.

Some other members were, however, of the view that if NAB sought specific information about a matter, complete information available on record should be provided to it.

It was also pointed out that despite being classified cabinet documents, NAB should be provided information to ensure proper investigation into a matter.

Cabinet members also suggested that the government should even consider making the decisions public that was taken in the national interest.

After detailed discussions, the cabinet directed the Cabinet Division to provide documents of meetings of the cabinet and cabinet committees to NAB and the Inquiry Commission on Debt.

When asked for views, a NAB spokesperson said he was not authorised to comment on political statements.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2019.

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