Will issue NAB chief’s production warrants if need be, warns Mandviwalla

Senate deputy chairman comes down hard on political parties for not amending NAB laws

Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla has warned National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal of issuing a production warrants of him if he failed to appear before the upper house of parliament.

“We will use our powers. [Production] warrants will be issued if he does not appear before the Senate,” Madviwalla said while addressing a press conference on Sunday.

The anti-corruption watchdog and PPP Senator Mandviwalla have been at odds after the former had recently frozen his assets in connection with a fake accounts case.

Mandviwalla claimed that NAB was over stepping its legal authority and involving into matters which does not even fall into its domain.

He maintained that the anti-corruption watchdog’s mandate was limited to only dealing with corruption cases of government officials and departments.

“Senate has been receiving a lot of complainants against NAB. People residing in UK, Canada are sending complaints via email against it [NAB],” he said, adding that people have even left country over alleged victimisation by the top graft buster.

In the same news conference, Madviwalla admitted that it was the failure of all political parties including his own PPP to not amend the NAB ordinance in the past to fix the existing loopholes in it.

Earlier, speaking to The Express Tribune, Mandviwalla alleged that Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani is under pressure to not convene a Senate session to discuss the issue and admit a privilege motion against the NAB authorities.

The opposition parties recently submitted a requisition notice to the Senate Secretariat seeking a Senate session to discuss several crucial political matters, including a resolution against alleged human rights violations being committed by NAB, among other things.

However, the Senate secretariat has raised several objections, saying “admitting a privilege motion and adoption of resolution during a requisitioned session is not covered in the Constitution, the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012 or the Standing Orders”.