Resign and go home, Bilawal asks NAB chief

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said a recent verdict of the Supreme Court has left no justification for the existence of the top graft buster – the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) – whose chief should now “resign and go home”.

“After this [SC] verdict there is no justification for the existence of NAB. If the NAB chairman [Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal] has any sense of honour then he should resign and go home,” Bilawal said on Wednesday at a press conference in Punjab's provincial capital.

Bilawal was referring to the apex court's July 20 detailed verdict explaining reasons for granting bail to PML-N's senior leader Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Khawaja Salman Rafique in a NAB case.

The 83-page order raised serious questions about the conduct of NAB, stating that the accountability laws are “successfully employed “in the country as tools to change political loyalties and for splintering and fracturing political parties.

"Pygmies were selected, nurtured, promoted, and brought to prominence and power. People with notorious backgrounds and criminal credentials were thrust to rule us in various capacities with predictable results,” it said.

According to the verdict, "NAB's conduct throughout this case [against the PML-N leaders] is a clear manifestation of their utter disregard for law, fair play, equity and propriety".

"The bureau seems reluctant in proceeding against people on one side of the political divide even in respect of financial scams of massive proportion while those on the other side are being arrested and incarcerated for months and years without providing any sufficient cause,” it said.

Bilawal, after reading some parts of the SC verdict, said PPP's slain chairperson Benazir Bhutto's and his own stance about NAB has been vindicated. “The Supreme Court has verified what we had been saying for years. Now, parliament should legislate for across the board accountability.”

He said if NAB follows the Supreme Court judgment then it must arrest all advisers and special assistants to prime minister and also make arrests in foreign funding case, Peshawar's Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) project case and Malam Jabba and other cases.

To a question, he said all the people who are under NAB's custody should be released including PPP leader Khursheed Shah. He said the PPP also condemns NAB for calling PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif for interrogation during the coronavirus pandemic despite the fact that Shehbaz is a cancer patient.

A day earlier, the PML-N parliamentary party had called on NAB chairman to hand in his resignation in view of the Supreme Court order.

Corruption allegations

Bilawal said the Transparency International has declared the PTI government the most corrupt in Pakistan's history. He alleged that Federal Minister Ali Zaidi “makes money” in the BRT project for Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“There is corruption in Billion Trees Tsunami and Malam Jabba projects and the Auditor General has highlighted 270 billion worth of corruption and irregularities in government departments.

“The Transparency International has said there is a corruption of Rs118 billion in postal services. The government cronies made billions of rupees in flour, sugar and petrol scandals. This money was taken out of the pockets of the people,” he claimed.