Intrusion: Sindh govt irked over FIA, NAB raids

Anti-corruption a provincial matter after the 18th Amendment: CM.

KARACHI: The Sindh government seems unhappy with the raids at offices of the provincial departments by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). “Both the federal agencies (NAB and FIA) are exceeding their powers,” said Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah on Thursday.

“Sindh is the only province where federal departments were conducting raids and arresting officials,” he said talking to the media at Sindh Assembly.

He said that thousands of files, including the sensitive ones, have been taken away in a raid by the NAB. “We have protested in front of the prime minister,” he said, adding that the PM Nawaz Sharif has assured the Sindh government that issues would be resolved within a couple of months. “But nothing has been done so far,” he said.

“We don’t want any confrontation with anyone,” the Sindh CM said. “But our rights should be respected.”

Shah said that anti-corruption is a provincial subject after the 18th Constitutional Amendment. “The anti-corruption department is functional in Sindh and is doing its job well,” he said. The NAB is even conducting raids in rural areas of the province.

The FIA has never interfered in provincial matters, as its domain is federal departments, the CM said. He said that the FIA has taken away important files without any permission, warning it will be responsible if any file is missing. He said that the federal agencies can conduct raids at federal departments, not the provincial.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2015.