NAB a problem of our own making: Abbasi

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi urged the government on Tuesday to take a decision about the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which only insulted people by instating fake cases against them.

Talking to media persons after his appearance in an accountability court, Abbasi indicated that in the current political scenario it would not be possible for him to contest the upcoming general elections. He also said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was a reality on the national political scene.

Abbasi said that NAB was established to influence politics. “NAB is the only institution whose job is to hold politicians accountable but till date, how many politicians have been punished by the court? On the contrary, NAB has proved the country’s politicians virtuous and righteous,” he said.

“The people are insulted through fake cases and these cases go on for years and finally it turns out that there was nothing in the case. Hundreds of people are still in jails,” he continued. “NAB is a problem of our own making and the government should decide about NAB.”

About his own NAB case, Abbasi said that it had been four years and still it was not known to him what his crime was. “The NAB chairman used to make cases by giving hard-hitting speeches. Later, they retire but the cases remain. Today it is learnt that the [accountability] judge is also retiring.”

Read More: Abbasi apologises for role in ‘shameful’ NA

Talking about the prevailing political scene, Abbasi said that meetings among the politicians was a good thing and stressed that dialogue must continue. However, on a personal note, he said: ”I am not convinced that I should be a part of the election in these circumstances.”

The former prime minister stressed that the solution to the plenty of problems facing the country were not for a single party to address, rather all the political force would have to work together on them. “If all parties work together, something better can happen,” he said.

Read More: Abbasi asks PML-N to explain shifting goalposts

Responding to a question, he said that he resigned from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) post on certain issues. However, he added that if PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif called him, “I will go”. He also made it clear that he did not engage in the consultation on party matters.

Earlier, the illegal recruitment reference against Abbasi was heard by the accountability court judge, however, the proceedings was adjourned until December 13.