ACE’s wait for increase in power, perks continues

After the usual tug-of-war, Punjab finally has a caretaker setup. However, since the setup’s main responsibility will be to conduct elections, the province’s anti-corruption department will have to wait for an elected Chief Minister (CM) to address its demands.

The Anti-Corruption Establishment Punjab, which is different from the country’s apex corruption watchdog, National Accountability Bureau (NAB), has long been demanding an increase in its powers, an end to staff shortages, and an honorarium equivalent to that given to NAB officers for investigation. However, the three recent CM’s of the province have failed to address any of the department’s demands, which does not inspire any confidence in the department that a new CM will listen. In this regard, Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan, who was until recently the spokesperson for the former CM Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi, was of the view that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was not opposed to addressing the demands of the anti-corruption department.

“Once we are back in government, we will seriously consider increasing the department’s power and privileges,” he informed. Chohan further said that even previously only former CM Elahi had focused on the department. “The Anti-Corruption Establishment was given separate status, increase in dedicated police stations and courts, and separate buildings all under the first tenure of CM Elahi,” said Chohan. However, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM), feels that there is no need to enhance the powers of the department. “If Punjab’s AntiCorruption Establishment is given more powers, it will just become a political tool like the NAB,” Khan observed, adding that the PML-N already had reservations about NAB’s broad powers.

“Moreover, increasing the powers of the provincial anti-corruption departments means that the provincial and federal government will come face to face and set up an administrative collision course,” the SAPM remarked. Barrister Naushab Ali Khan, a lawyer based in Lahore, concurring with the SAPM, said that giving the provincial corruption watchdog equal powers to NAB would lead to conflict between the two institutions. “Both institutions have a clear mandate and it makes little sense to tinker with it,” he observed. However, the lawyer was of the view that the demand for an increase in perks was not misplaced.

“If the provincial anti-corruption officers feel that an honorarium equal to NAB officers for investigating cases would lead to a better performance, then there is no harm in increasing it but it should be done according to the law,” the Barrister opined while talking to The Express Tribune.